Subject, Ruler, Finder, Wanderer
by Lady Smoothie
Summary: AU, Pre HBP, sequel to HVSC: After the last battle, Harry finds himself in another world, one where werewolves are locked away in silver cages, he died as a baby, there is no Lord Azkaban or Heir of the Six, and he must battle Riddle once more… By Aerin.
1. Prologue: Lullabye

**Timeline: **

**1960: The Marauders are born.**

**1971-77: Marauders go to Hogwarts**

**1978: Lily and James are married.**

**July 31st, 1980: Harry is born.**

**September 30th, 1981: Arianrhod is captured.**

**October 1st, 1981: Remus discovers Ari's 'body' on his doorstep.**

**October 10th, 1981: Mel is captured.**

**October 17th, 1981: The Potter's appoint a Secret Keeper; Sirius.**

**October 24th, 1981: The Potters switch Secret Keepers.**

**October 31st, 1981: The Potters are attacked.**

**November 1st, 1981: Sirius attacks Peter and is sent to Azkaban without a trial.**

**November 3rd, 1981: Harry is sent to the Dursleys'.**

**June 28th, 1982: Nimi is born.**

**1991: Harry begins his first year at Hogwarts.**

**Summer of 1996: Harry is sent to Azkaban. **

**July 8th, 1997 : The Battle of Hogwarts, aka the Final Battle; Harry falls into some sort of gold light and disappears. **

**A/N: Here it is, the sequel to Hero, Villain, Saviour, Conqueror! To new readers, I'd read that first… otherwise this will make about more sense. I won't give a description of the first, as that would take up too much time and I am horrible at writing consice summaries about something that's already happened, if that made any sense. This is a darker installment, for the people who've read the first. I would say much darker, but it's not entirely dark… not really…**

**Prologue: Lullabye**

In a dark corner of a thick forest, a man groaned as he came to. He slowly sat up, looked around, moaned again, and scooted back against a tree, pinching the bridge of his nose with his left hand. Screwing up his face in concentration, he squeezed his eyes tightly as though thinking very, very hard. After a moment he recoiled with shock, pain and horror, along with a small cry.

"I can't reach her," he murmured in a hoarse voice. "Does that mean she's…" The man squeezed his eyes once more, and a single tear leaked out. "Oh no…" He bit his lip and took a moment to compose himself before standing with a small groan, stretching his back. "I ache all over…" he muttered, stretching again.

Pulling a gold circlet off his head and tucking it into his pocket, he shook his head and screwed up his face once more, but in a mildly different way; this time, there was a barely noticeable 'pop' as his characteristics rearranged themselves. The slightly crooked nose was replaced with a straight one, his skin darkened a few shades, his eyes reshaped themselves slightly and turned a bright blue from a startling emerald green, and his messy black hair was gone, curly brown in its place. A silver rune on his palm faded to leave only a slight glow.

He had grown a few inches, from a rather tall height of 5'11" to an imposing height of 6'3", and his slim form had filled out to a more average one. His ears stuck out a bit more from his head, and his neck had shortened somewhat to a more average length than the elegant long neck he had had before. With a satisfied lopsided smirk that was still recognizedly his, the man set off throuh the woods to try and find some sort of shelter, to get his bearings, pulling a cold mask over his face… but not even that could quite hide the sorrow and loss in his eyes.

Harry James Potter set off through the depths of the black woods and walked towards a castle, absentmindedly humming a lullabye.

_Once upon a december…_


	2. Chapter One: Vanished

**Chapter One: Vanished**

Nimi sat like a statue in her char as the rest of those in the meeting discussed _it_. His disappearance… She could not think of him as dead. She refused to do so. And yet, a part of her acknowledged the cold, hard truth. She could not reach him. He was gone. _Dead. _Her Harry was dead.

She did not know when she had started to think of him as her Harry. It seemed, somehow, that he always had been, and she had never truly noticed it… She had thought her feelings for him a childish crush. After all, she was only fourteen, and he just sixteen. Yet somehow, she knew it surpassed that. She had had crushes before. Just because she had been in the Militia didn't mean she didn't have feelings like any other of her age.

There was something different about Harry, though. It hadn't been his looks she had fallen for, though he was decidedly handsome. She had so rarely seen him with his hood pulled down that it couldn't possibly be that. No, all she could say was that she had fallen for _him_. Hard.

And now he was gone… He kept to himself with a lot of things, she had realized after they'd Bonded. The prophecy, his pain, just how hard his old friends' betrayal had been for him… he was more of a self-relying person than she'd realized, especially with the way the Dursley's had treated him…

She absentmindedly straightened the white gold circlet on her head, a nervous habit she had picked up ever since her crowning a week ago, only a day after the will was read. That seemed wrong, somehow. Harry hadn't been crowned until he had been acting as Lord for several months. Then again, perhaps the Council was afraid that the Ministry would try and seize control of Azkaban as she was not a blood relative…

She could feel the Minister's eyes on her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked politely.

"I asked you if you intended to keep the Ladyship, um- er- my Lady." The far man looked at her nervously, as though wondering if he had made a mistake by calling her that, or by asking the question. For some reason, she thought it was the latter. That man would never realize when he'd asked a stupid question.

"If I didn't," she replied, her tone slightly cold, "Then I wouldn't have allowed myself to be crowned. Harry wished for me to take care of Azkaban, and take care of it I will."

She was little aware of how much a queen she looked in that moment. Her back perfectly straight, wearing flowing white robes, her arms resting on the arms of the chair, long sleeves draping over the sides, her ciclet standing out in startling comparison to her light-brown and dark-brown hair falling in light curls, her once warm brown eyes holding a now frozen quality to them, and an almost eerie sense of power…

"Of course!" the Minister said hurriedly, tugging at his tie. "Of course. Just… just wanted to make sure…" The next bit was muttered, but the room was silent enough for her to hear him perfectly. "Don't understand why the boy would appoint a fifteen year old…"

She shivered involuntarily as she remembered the day she was appointed.

_"Nimi?" A voice called, shaking her out of her reverie. She raised an eyebrow and inclined her head to her father, indicating that he should speak. Sirius sighed heavily. "We're ready to read it now." She nodded stonily, and he sighed once more. "As Primary Advisor, you're the one who needs to…"_

_It was her turn let out a small sigh as she stood. She hadn't spoken in three days, ever since Harry… With shaking hands, she picked up the piece of parchment offered to her from across the round table and stared at it for a moment. It was in his hqandwriting. she would recognize the jagged peaks and swirling loops anywhere. Forcing herself to copncentrate, she cleared her throat and began. _

_"This is the last will and testament of Harry- James- Potter-" she choked each of the three words out, tears threatening to spill, her voice hoarse with disuse. "Dated as of February 14th, 1996." Valentine's Day. He had written his will on Valentine's Day. "All previous wills are to be declared null and void." _

_She cleared her throat once more and continued. "I, Harry James Potter, being of sound mind and body, hereby decree for my estate to be divided as such on the event of my death. _

_"To Sirius Black, my godfather, and Meliara Black, my godmother. If you're hearing this, it means I'm gone. Don't fret, I'm with Mum and Dad now. I'll tell them you all say hi. I want you to know that you're the closest thing I have to a father and mother (even if I haven't known either of you for all that long), and it's undoubtable that I miss you right now, wherever I am. To you, I leave one fourth of my estate, and board in Castle Azkaban whenever you desire it, for however long that may be." Both were crying as their daugter read this, weeping for the loss of one so dear. _

_"To Remus and Arianrhod Lupin; you are the uncle and aunt I never had. I miss you as well, and Ari, you'd better make sure he takes this. I leave you a fourth of my estate and the same deal I gave Mel and Sirius. Please take advantage of it." _

_"He shouldn't have given me anything," Remus muttered. "He should just be here." Ari nodded. _

_Taking a shaky breath, Nimi continued. "To Severus Snape. I know we've never really gotten along that well until that day at the trial, but I would like to thank you for always being honest, no matter how brutal the truth may be. It is refreshing, somehow, to always know what others think about oneself. To you, I leave an sixteenth of my estate, the same offer, and the Library's copy of 'Maxime Moste Potente Potions'. Make good use of it." Snape's eyes were wide, and he could not seem to string words together. _

_"Draco Malfoy. This is only to be applicable if you're not a Death Eater, otherwise your share goes to Nimi." She stuttered over her own name before going on. "I feel sorry for you, Draco. Isn't the family motto that you bow to no one, when your father bows to a half-blood hypocrite. I hope you can see that, and somehow I think you can. To you, if you are on any side other than Tom Riddle's, I give you one-sixteenth of my estate, the same offer, and my blessing. May life be kinder to you than it has to your father, who will, most assuredly, be killed off by some upstart Auror whose family he's murdered. No offense of course." _

_Draco chuckled. "None taken, Potter," he murmured. _

_"Luna Lovegood. I leave you with one-sixteenth of my estate and ownership of the Azkaban Menagerie. Take good care of the animals. You are an amazing friend. Good luck in life. You have the same offer as the others." The blonde girl was crying on Nikolai's shoulder, who was pale, knowing he was next. _

_"Nikolai Nadreski. I haven't known you very long, but you are an amazing person. I know you will succeed in whatever you do. I leave you one-sixteenth of my estate, your father's old position on the Council of Kharerre, and the same offer as the others. Have fun, and never believe something unless it's been thrice-confirmed. I've made that mistake enough times." _

_The skinny boy smiled. "I will, Harry," he whispered. _

_"To General Azback, I leave one-thirty second of my estate and good luck in his career." The burly man nodded slightly. He was honored to be remembered at all. _

_"And lastly, to Nimi Stardreamer." Her voice hitched in her throat and she had to wait a moment before continuing. "You are the best friend I've ever had, Nimi, and one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. As such, I leave you the remainder of my estate, and…" She trailed off, staring at the parchment. _

_"What is it?" Sirius asked, concerned. _

_She looked up at him, eyes wide. "The Ladyship of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles," she breathed hoarsly._

She had accepted. She would not let Harry down. He meant far too much to her.

Far too much.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer  
**

There was a congregation waiting for him when he exited the forest. A congregation of people he knew. Dumbledore, Mel, Snape, Sirius, Professor Auriga Sinistra, Hagrid, and several people he did not recognize… He was about to take off his disguise when he saw something that made him freeze.

Stnading behind them was Prefessor Filius Flitwick. And he was _alive_.

"Who trespasses on the Hogwarts grounds?" Dumbledore shouted to him. It was then that he noticed the heavy wind, and the light droplets on his face… a sure sign of a storm coming.

"Orion Jamison," he yelled back, thinking quickly. It was rather unnerving to have several of your closest friends, several people who had betrayed you, and a dead man pointing their wands at you. It was only thanks to Nimi's Militia training in the back of his mind that he didn't break apart completely. _Nimi…_

"Why do you come?" Dumbledore yelled in response.

"I heard that the Defense job was open," he yelled. "I came to apply. I live out past the forest-" he gestured over his shoulder "-and I thought I'd just come through there. Is that a problem?"

Dumbledore, Harry could see, raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly. I am afraid you'll have to come with me though, if you wish to apply. I'll have to ask you some questions; please don't take them personally. These are dark times."

And that was when it really sunk in for Harry. Hogwarts had a DADA professor. School had just gotten out, but Mrs. Figg had agreed to stay on. Flitwick had died in the battle. The grounds should be a mess, after the bloodshed that had happened there. Dark times… Voldemort was dead. There should be no more dark times, not now… Something he had read once popped into his head. Merlin's Theory of Inter-Dimensional Travel… Could he possibly be in another universe, a world similar to, but different than, his own?

He had no more time to ponder as Dumbledore led him across the ground and towards the catle, the others falling into obviously rehearsed positions surrounding him, wands still pointed his way… One thing was for sure. Something big had happened, and something was very wrong.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi was sitting in the Study of Castle Azkaban, one of the few places she had never seen Harry. That was a good thing, as that meant there was nothing in here to remind her of him. Although, she mused, she couldn't get him off her mind anyways.

She shook her head and turned back to the pile of parchment she had been looking at. All of it was from the Ministry and that pompous oaf of a Minister. At least the re-elections were coming up… hopefully she wouldn't have to deal with him much longer. Of course, depending on who was elected, that may or may not be a good thing… even if Fudge was an idiot, at least he was an idiot devoted to the Light Side. _It could always be worse… _But could it truly? Harry had gone, had left her all alone…

She sighed heavily, pinched her forehead, trying to ignore the throbbing pain of her headache, a headache that had bothered her for the last few days. She had gotten so little sleep lately… Every dream was a nightmare. She saw Harry vanish again and again, right in front of her eyes, and could do nothing…

She needed to ask Severus for a Dramless Sleep potion. Maybe if she got some good sleep, this bloody migraine would go away.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry was currently sitting in Dumbledore's office in a chair across from the desk. The old man had had all the others leave, and it was just the two of them for the interview.

Interview. Well, he had always been interested in teaching, and he definitely had the credentials… he was suddenly very glad for his resume in his pocket, and that he had wandlessly changed the school to the Canadian School of Magiks and the Headmaster to Arthur Walker a few moments before. It had definitely been a good idea.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his fingers steepled and his hands resting on them. "I am afraid I must ask something rather personal of you."

"Yes sir?" A bad taste entered his mouth at the second word, but he forced himself to speak it. Perhaps this Dumbledore was different than his own, was not a lying, stupid, betraying bastard who thought he knew best foor everyone. He mentally snorted. _Yeah right._

"I am afraid I will need to use Occlumency on you. Do you know what that is?"

Harry mentally snorted once more. Dumbledore thought him to be an innocent little boy. He very nearly burst our laughing. "Indeed sir. I am an accomplished Occlumens and Legilimens."

Dumbledore looked mildly surprised. "I see. Then you will not mind if I just see hwere your loyalties lie?"

"Only if you do not mind if I throw up a shield over everything else. My past is my own."

"Agreed," the Headmaster said with a nod. "Do you have your shield ready?"

He allowed himself a moment to check before replying. "Yes."

"Then I'll just-" It took barely an instant, but Harry could feel Dumbledore's mental presence on his own. He was surprised to see that this Dumbledore did indeed withdraw after seeing his alignment. He knew his wouldn't have. Of course, this was all assuming this was a parallel world… but what other explanation was there?

Dumbledore was looking at him oddly. "Is there a problem?" Harry asked, suddenly nervous.

"No," the Headmaster replied, sounding rather confused. "You're fully on the side of the Light."

"So?" Harry asked, wrinkling his nose.

"We haven't had a single person apply for the job who hasn't been a Death Eater or Voldemort supporter," the man informed him. At Harry's lack of reaction, he added "Or someone who doesn't flinch at the name. You are an interesting man, Orion Jamison. I would tell you you're hired, but I'll need to see your resume first."

"Of course," Harry said with a smile, pulling the sheet out of his pocket and handing it to the Headmaster, who looked over it, eyes widening at some parts, muttering at others.

"You're sixteen?" he finally said.

"It depends on the date," Harry said with a small frown. At Dumbledore's surprised glance, he quickly added "I've never really been very good with dates…"

"July the nineteenth."

Harry forced himself not to react. _A week and a half, unless time ran differently wherever here was. _"Then I won't be seventeen for almost two weeks, yes."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "You do realize that you would be the youngest person to ever teach? Probably the youngest person ever quaqlified to…"

He smiled suddenly. "I don't know about that. I have a fourteen, almost fifteen year old friend who's qualified- no, she is fifteen, isn't she…" His face suddenly fell as he remembered. "But she's gone now," he said, not even realizing he'd said it aloud until he noticed Dumbledore's pitying look. "Well," he said, hurriedly changing the topic, "Do I get the job?"

A slow smile broke on the Headmaster's face. "Indeed you do. Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Jamison."

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi tossed and turned as she slept. The window was open, letting in a cool breeze, but she still kicked off the covers as though unbearably hot. She muttered something uncomprehendable under her breath as she was enfolded in the presence of dreams…

_**Dream Sequence**_

_She is walking down a corridor of the Castle Azkaban, the one leading to the Throne Room by the looks of it. She is wearing her white robes, which is all she really wears now, her hair loose behind her and a tad longer than it is now, about ¾ of the way to her elbows. It is slightly curlier too; then again, it does always get curlier when it's longer, so it makes sense. She adjusts the circlet on her head and continues on her way, her feet in elegant white slippers pit-pattering on the floor. _

_Suddenly, she collapses, clutching her head. _

_The scene changes. She's wearing her Primary Advisor uniform, her hair a bit shorter and straighter than it is now, the circlet gone and a Death Eater. She's battling him and watching Harry duel Voldemort out of the corner of her eye at the same time, ready to jump in the moment he needs help. She turns her head back to the Death Eater for a brief second, and there is a terrible scream…_

_The scene changes again. _

_She now finds herself back in the Death Chamber, chanting the ritual to get out the man she doesn't know is her father. She realizes, suddenly, that the last two have been memories, not dreams… and suddenly it switches from what she knows. Her father looks up from where he lies on the floor. _

_"You are a fool," he hisses. "You couldn't save him. It's your fault. You said you would back him up, jump in if he needed help…" _

_"No," she murmurs, falling to the ground and holding her hands over her ears. "No… you're wrong…" But she knows that he isn't. The scene changes once more, and she's sitting with Luna in the carriage on the way back from shopping. The girl slowly stops laughing and looks at her. _

_"It's all your fault. Your fault. He should still be alive. Your fault. Your fault…" _

_Her ears are covered once more as she blocks out the horrible mantra with one of her own. "No, no, no no no no no nonononono…" The scenes are going by quicker now; they almost flash like scenes in a theater, as though she isn't a part of them, they exist outside of her. Nikolai, her mother, Remus, Ari… they all accuse her, and she drowns them out, until it gets to the wors part of all. _

_She's dueling the Death Eater again, and she whirls at the scream. Voldemort is falling in a crumpled heap, and a golden light is surrounding Harry. "HARRY!" she cries, running to him, reaching out. He reaches back to her, but he's fading… she cqan't reach him…_

_And then, all he can see is his face. "I should be there," he snarls at her. "I'm supposed to be alive. I don't know how I could have ever cared about an idiot like you. You ruined everything. Your fault. All your fault. Your fault…" _

_"No," she sobs, as he continues to accuse her. "No, no… no…please… no…" _

_**End Dream Sequence**_

****"NO!" she shrieked, sitting bolt upright in bed. "Harry!" She looked around and found herself in her bedroom in Castle Azkaban. Glancing at the clock, she found it to be 3:01 AM. "Just a dream," she murmurs as she forces herself to lie down again. "I'll have to get a stronger Dreamless Sleep Potion… it was just a dream…"

Yet, she couldn't help but get the feeling that more than anything, she was trying to convince herself. Convince herself that it wasn't her fault…

And suddenly, the word 'no' had never seemed more pointless.

**A/N: First chapter! Go me! Anyways...**

**Thanks to: **

**MidNite Phoenix (the first reviewer!), TheWizardsOrder, Lyfe.exe, Trumpet-Geek, japanese-jew, illusionaric, Jin The Wind Master, orlin, LooneyLoopyLupin, My.Heart.has.Died.Its.Way.Past.Beating, Quillian, dead feather, and Tris-Wanna-Be**

**Questions: **

**Are we switching worlds, going back between Harry and everyone else?**

_**Yes. At the moment, anything with Harry is in the new world and anything with Nimi is the one we're used to. **_

**This Prologue was kind of short; I'm hoping they get longer.**

_**Don't worry, they do. That was the Prologue; mine tend to be amazingly short. :)**_

**The lullabye is from Anastasia, right?**

_**Mmm-hmmm. **_

**A/N: Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon, although afrter this week I can't update until August 23rd…. yeah. **

**Aerin**


	3. Chapter Two: The List

**Chapter Two: The List**

Dumbledore lead Harry out of his office and towards the Great Hall; Harry tried his best to make it look as though he didn't know his way, whcich was surprisingly easy with Dumbledore's continuous talking and his own replies.

"So, you say you're not too good with dates?" Albus inquired politely as they walked down the corridor.

Harry shook his head. "Not at all. Days of the week, easy enough. Schedules, yes. Years, usually. Dates, not at all."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well said, Mr. Jamison. May I call you Orion?"

"Please," he responed easily. "May I ask what time it is? I seem to have misplaced my watch in the forest somewhere."

"It is," the old man consulted his left wrist, "Twelve minutes past six. The house elves will have dinner ready by six thirty." He pointed a wrinkled hand to the large set of doors on their right. "And here we are at the Great Hall."

Harry looked up at the doors with forced awe. "I don't believe I have ever seen a set of doors that big. Very nice."

The Headmaster chuckled. "Shall we enter?" At Harry's nod, Dumbledore made a slight hand motion and the doors opened. Harry turned to the other man with a raised brow. He had never seen that, even in his own time at Hogwarts.

"One of the perks of being Headmaster." He was led in, and all talking stopped. He was surprised to see that only the Head Table remained in the room. It made sense, he supposed; more room. The occupants of the table looked up as they walked in, and he stopped a second after Dumbledore did. "This," Albus said, his voice echoing, "Is our new DADA Professor, Orion Jamison. He will be joining us for dinner." Chatter slowly resumed as the two sat down at the table, Dumbledore in the center between Snape and Sirius, and Harry two down from Snape, between Sinistra and Madame Pomfrey

Snape, surprisingly, was the first to greet him. "Welcome," he said, his voice mildly frozen. "It is… an honour to have another colleague join our staff."

Sinistra choked on a bite of food before laughing softly, shaking her head. "Don't mind him," she whispered conspiratorally to Harry. "He's just upset that you got the job he's always wanted. I don't see why though, he's amazing at Potions." She straightened, holding her hand out to him. "I don't belive we've met. I'm Auriga Sinistra-Snape, Severus' wife."

Harry forced himself not to stare as he shook her hand. She had married Snape here? Had they ever even met back home? Well, of course they had, they were on the same staff… "Pleased to meet you both."

Madame Pomphrey had his attention next. "Poppy Pomphrey," she said, pumping his hand and staring into his eyes. She frowned. "You need sleep; you look exhausted."

He nodded. "Things have been… very busy. I'll get some good sleep tonight." He didn't bother to mention that he doubted he'd ever get some "good sleep" ever again. _She's gone…_

He forced himself to concentrate as the others on his side of the table introduced themselvs. Sirius was silent throughout the meal and Mel was talking to Professor Vector, so Harry hadn't spoken with either of them. It was odd, he mused, that thhey weren't sitting together. Were they not married in this world? What had happened to Remus and Ari?

It was time, he decided, for some serious research.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi yawned into her cereal at eight in the morning. "Are you alright?" her mother asked, worry etched into her face. She raised an eyebrow, and Mel reddened slightly. "Alright, stupid question. Is something more wrong than… that?"

The Lady Azkaban sighed heavily. "I just have a migraine, that's all." Remus raised an eyebrow. "Really!" she protested. "I just have an enormous headache, and nothing else is wrong. I swear."

"Well then," her father said, throwing a newspaper on the table in front of her, "Let's see if we can keep that up. Someone else might want to see that too, when you're done…"

She glanced down at the title and froze, feeling a smile coming on.

**Electons For New Minister; Candidates Announced Today!**

**by Rita Skeeter**

_Today, current Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge announced the candidates for his replacement. "I think they are all very worthy," he said at the press release, "And am sorry to say that I won't be running again." _

_This reporter speculates that that is because of his failure in warning the Wizarding Community against You-Know-Who's return in time, but she disgresses. _

_Candidates selected included Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department, and Anthony Zabini, Wizaengamot member. _

_The most surprising candidate by far, however, is Remus Lupin, former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts and ex-lycanthrope. It seems that the he has the support of Britain's other ex-lycanthropes, as Gregry Jihns remarked. _

"_Even when werewolves were feared and the Registration Act and other nonhuman laws were passed, he never turned against full humans," says Jihns. "He led loads of peaceful protests and started the Werewolf Relief center, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping werewolves. Now it helps distribute the cure and has counseling, all because of him." _

_Lupin will be 37 in September. He is married to Arianrhod Lupin, formerly Arianrhod McKinnon, one of the sole survivors of the McKinnon clan, who were attacked by Death Eaters in the first war. They currently reside in Castle Azkaban and are the godparents of the new Lady Azkaban, Lady Nimi Stardreamer-Black. Lady Stardreamer-Black is the daughter of famed ex-convict Sirius Black and his wife Meliara, heiress to Kenric Fillibuster, creater of the famed Filllibuster Fireworks. Reportedly all consider Lupin a close friend-_

Nimi stopped reading and smiled widely. "Oh _Re_-mus!" she called. "You'll want to read this!" She ran out of the room, laughing, as he skimmed the article and yelled out with surprise.

"WHAT!"

She went back to the study. Even if Remus ended up becoming Minster, which wouldn't surprise her, she still had to go over these documents from Fudge. They ranged from arguments over what islands made up the Druid Isles to asking for her endorsement to Arthur Weasley, who he apparently supported. She snorted. _Not bloody likely. _Not only was she most assuredly voting for Remus, Arthur Weasley had been one of the people Harry had looked up to the most, and Weasley had thrown that trust in the dirt…

No, Remus was definitely a better candidate. And if he were elected he would, no doubt, not bother with all these stupid arguments over whether or not she should be Lady Azkaban, as Fudge was…

Why couldn't Fudge just understand that Harry had wanted her to do it? If he hadn't, she would never have dreamed of it… but he had asked her, and she had to. She _had _to. And if he couldn't understand that, he was even more of a fool than she had thought he was.

And that, she thought wryly, was saying something.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry was in the Library.

While this wasn't exactly an unusual occurrence, it seemed wrong, somehow, to be studying without Hermione or Nimi there. Although he was grateful his bushy-haired former friend wasn't there, he missed Nimi so, so much…

He hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, but he didn't think his "little crush" on her had been so little. He wished that someone was here he could talk to, but no one understood. What he needed, he realized, was Remus or Sirius. _His _Remus or Sirius. The surrogate father and uncle of the family that he had never had. But they weren't here. For all he knew, they had died in the battle…

He forced himself to look back down at the pile of newpapers he had gathered. The Library just about every old Sunday Daily Prophet, and some from other days- he had decided to start with 1981, the year Voldemort had attacked back home, and see what was different from there. He was up to July, and everything seemed the same to him, from what he knew.

In fact, everything seemed the same until he reached September 1st, 1981. Then all he could do was stare at he headline and image. _Woman Found Murdered! Dark Mark Above House! _The image was of Arianrhod Lupin.

Skimming through the article, he realized that it wasn't Arianrhod Lupin but Arianrhod McKinnon. Vaguely remembering this as her maiden name, he read on. She had been killed in her home, where she lived on her own. She was the last death of the McKinnon clan… She had no family, no relatives, and her closest friend was Lily Evans-Potter, who had been in tears and refused to comment. _What about Mel? And Remus?_

His brown creased, he moved onto the next day. Nothing else unusual popped up in September, or the beginning of October… so what _had _happened to Mel? Why hadn't she been kidnapped? He sighed as the next article showed that the Longbottom's had all been killed. Well, that answered the reason why Voldemort was still alive; Neville hadn't been able to stop him either.

And then he flipped to the October 31st issue and froze once more. _So that was what it had looked like. _The picture showed what had obviously once been a beautiful cottage, now a flaming mess, the Dark Mark floating high above. Above the photo was printed _"Godric's Hollow Attack; Potter Cottage Destroyed"_. He forced his eyes down to read the article.

_**Godric's Hollow Attack; Potter Cottage Destroyed**_

_**by Katy Hart**_

_Late last night, the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow looked in horror as the Potter Cottage went up in flames in the latest of You-Know-Who's attacks. _

_Inside were James Potter, his wife Lily Evans-Potter, and their young son Harry. Mr. Potter was a successful Auror and next in line to take over the Auror Chair in the Wizengamot. His wife was a well-respected healer at St. Mungos. Both were twenty-one years old. Their son, Harry, was 15 months. _

_Reportedly, You-Know-Who and several of his most trusted followers were seen leaving the house and Disapparating. Mr. Potter was found dead of the Killing Curse in the family room, but had reportedly been tortured first, presumably for information. His wife was on the stairs, apparently on her way to get her son. She was disposed of in the same manner as her husband. Their baby was found dead in the crib of the Killing Curse as well. _

_The Potter's were under the Fidelius Charm, and their Secret Keeper is yet to be found and tried. We can only send our hope to their loved ones. _

Harry let out a shaky breath and set the paper aside. So Tom had brought followers, and killed his mother before she could give herself up for him. The Secret Keeper… had Peter been found guilty here? Had Sirius gotten a trial? Was that why he was teaching?

It seemed as though that theory was wrong. The day after the Potters' deaths, the scene in the street had happened, and Sirius had been taken away, Pettigrew presumed dead. Sirius had gone to Azkaban; so what had happened? How had he gotten out?

He didn't have to read as far as he had thought he would to find out. Two years and a month after Sirius' imprisonment, Pettigrew had been caught in an Auror raid. He had confessed under Veritaserum to everything, and Sirius had been let out. He had gone back to working as an Auror, and quickly risen in ranks until he was unanimously considered one of the best.

Nothing much else was mentioned about anyone he knew after that for a while. The odd thing was that he saw nothing about Remus, or the forming of the Werewolf Relief Center, WRC. Why wouldn't Remus do that here? And why hadn't he been married to Ari?

The crease in his forehead even more pronounced, he continued onwards. Voldemort's reign of terror had continued, it seemed. People died on a regular basis. Towns and cities were attacked. Wide-spread panic was a normality. The Aurors had reached many attacks in time to prevent crippling losses along with a group known only as "the Order". He smiled slightly. So Dumbledore hadn't been discouraged.

And then he reached the most recent papers, of only the year before, and started once more. Hogwarts had been attacked. His eyes scanned the casualties… _All ghosts missing, presumably exorcised… Sybil Trelawny… Alastor Moody, DADA teacher… Luna Lovegood, Year Four… Cho Chang, Year Six… Ron Weasley, Year Five… Dennis Creevey, Year Three… Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher… _The list went on and on, all of them people he knew back home. His throat was dry. _If that had happened at the end of his Fifth Year, he would have mourned them all… missed them so much… felt so _guilty_… _

He squeezed his eyes shut before continuing. It seemed that Sirius had been hired that summer and taught DADA and Transfiguration the next year. That meant that this year he was just teaching Transfiguration. Meliara Fillibuster had come from Ireland to teach Divination. Had she never gone to Hogwarts? Did that mean that she agreed with her families policies in this world, or that someone had stopped her? Or had she just never dared to run away?

That was the last thing of interest. A frown creased Harry's forehead. So many questions were still unanswered, things he needed to know. He opened his mouth to ask Nimi what she thought… and abruptly realized she wasn't there. Of course, he knew she was dead… but somehow, he had gotten so wrapped up that he had forgotten. His stomach sank and he clenched his jaw.

She had never even existed in this world, if Mel had just moved to England the year before. He wasn't sure if he should be depressed or overjoyed. It would be even harder if she existed here… he would see her and always be reminded that she wasn't the girl he knew, that she was someone completely different… that the girl he knew was dead, and he wasn't going to see her again.

A tear dripped down his cheek, and he angrily brushed it aside. He had to figure out why he was here and go home, but until then he needed to know things so that he didn't say something incredibly stupid and blow his cover. A thought came unbidden to his mind. _What would Nimi do? _

And so The List was born.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi looked up at the knock on the office door. "Come in!" she called out, silencing the music with a wave of her hand as an afterthought. Remus entered just in time to see the gesture.

"What were you listening to?"

"Orchestral," she said with a small shrug. "Bach, I believe. Wasn't really paying attention."

He smiled. "I've always liked orchestral. Relaxing, really." He paused.

"Was there something you needed?" she asked politely. "I don't want to be rude, but I have all of these papers for that idiot Fudge-"

"Actually, Fudge is the reason I came. Well, sort of. I wanted to talk to you about the Minister thing."

She put down her pen and straightened. "The Minister thing?"

He blushed. "Er, yes. I just wanted to ask if you were okay with that. I mean, I can turn down the candidacy- although Ari would probably kill me- and I wondered what you think. You would probably be getting a lot more media attention, they mentioned you a lot in the paper today, and they would probably talk or even want to ask you about Harry."

She visibly flinched at the name, but shrugged. "It'll be alright, Remus. I want you to run. Amelia is already Head of the DMLE, and a lot of people were against that because she's a woman. I'm not saying it's right, because it's definitely not, but I don't think she'll be elected. That leaves Arthur Weasley, Anthony Zabini, and you, and… and Harry would have wanted you to get the job as much as he would have wanted Arthur not to."

Remus nodded, a sad and slightly disappointed look on his face. "Of course. Although I must admit I was hoping you would tell me not to run… I would completely suck at it."

Nimi couldn't help but chuckle. "When you're elected, and everyone looks up to you, I'll remind you of that."

"I know. I wouldn't have it any other way." He flashed her another quick smile before leaving, gently shutting the door behind him. She absentmindedly waved her hand again and another song came on, this one a woman's voice singing a mournful tune. _"How can you cry when your eyes will shed no tears…"_

She turned back to the treaty and laughed darkly. Did Fudge honestly expect her to sign over _three _of the Druid Isles, the most well-known Druid Isles to her people, just by claiming they had never belonged to Azkaban in the first place? She sucked on the end of her pen for a moment before smiling.

_Minister Fudge;_

_You obviously do not know your Azkabanian history as well as you ought to to make such claims. Those three isles were where several of the first battles of the War of Azkaban were fought. Those rebelling against the government were hiding there as they are the farthest away from the Isle of Azkaban. They are considered historical monuments to the Azkabanians, and I will never sign a contract giving them to the Ministry. _

_The remnants of the one you tried to get me to sign are enclosed. _

_Lady Nimi Gemini Stardreamer-Black of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles_

She signed the letter with a flourish and turned to the contract, a wide smile on her face. "Now, what to do with you…"

Later, Fudge was mildly surprised to find, in an envolpe wrapped in the letter, the ripped up remains of the contract floating in what seemed to be frog spawn.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

**The List: **

What happened to Remus?

Find out who the Lord Azkaban is here.

Why didn't Mel come to Britain earlier?

Who is teaching History of Magic if Binns is gone and presumed exorcised?

Who taught DADA last year?

How did I get here? Is there a way to get back?

How many students attend Hogwarts?

What's my class schedule?

Lesson plans; are they pre-designed here, or can I choose?

Buy or Transfigure more robes, a chest of things; everything must look normal.

Harry frowned and set down his pen. He had picked up the habit of using them from Nimi; she thought that the idea of quills was stupid, as you had to keep dipping them in ink. Pens, she had said, were much simpler. She was fond of simple things. _Gone…_

He blinked and forced himself not to think about her. Had he left anything off of The List? Nothing came to mind, and he decided that it was good. Using a Pinning Charm, he put it on the wall and made a small motion with his hand. It had disappeared from sight, he knew, to all but him. Perfect.

He looked up as a face materialized on the back of his door. It was, he knew, Sir Cadogan, who had been set up as the guard for his door. The knight brought back memories of better times, when he wasn't mourning a loved one for dead… He was abrupty jerked out of reminisence when the knight spoke.

"Good sir, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you! He is waiting outside as we speak!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Then by all means, let him in." No sooner had he spoken than the portrtait hole swung open and the old man ducked in. "How may I help you, sir?" He knew what he was here for. This Dumbledore may have been different from his own, but in some ways they were the same. _Alliances…_

Dumbledore smiled. "Indeed, Mr. Jamison." The smile fell. "You know, of course, that Hogwarts was attacked last year." At Harry's nod, he continued. "You will realize, then, that that was because our defences failed.

"Mr. Jamison, I imagine you have heard of the Order?" Nod. "That Order is the Order of the Phoenix, the Order I run. I am here to invite you to join that Order, to help us stop Voldemort." He paused as he noticed Harry not flinching, and then went on. "We have received word that Voldemort plans to attack us again sometime this coming year. We need your help now more than ever. Please, Orion."

Harry sighed heavily and turned away to look out the window. It was silent for a moment as Harry watched the sun set and Dumbledore watched him for what he would say. "Before I give you my answer," Harry said, "I want you to know that I do not, in any way, shape or form, agree with Voldemort or what he is doing. He must be fought, and those fighting must win. I am one of those fighting. I have been ever since I found out he killed my parents."

"But?" the Headmaster asked softly.

"But," Harry went on, "I cannot join your Order. A similar group, one much less well-known, betrayed me once, and after realizing what they'd done tried to get me to join. I refused them, and I must refuse you now. I will, however, be more than happy to join in your meeting and help you fight the war and protect this castle. The fewer people who die, the better, and I will not let my own fears stand in the way of that. So I cannot join, but I can and will assist you any way I can to fight that monster."

The aged man nodded. "I do understand. I will see you tonight at eleven in my office." He winked on his way out, and once he had left Harry banged his head against the table.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he moaned.

**A/N: I'm ba-ack! For anyone who cares, my musical theater camp rocked…. at the final performance, a cheer of "WE WANT MORE!" sprung up. Yeah, that was good. (Block: coughs pointedly) Right, sorry about that. Anyways, posting will hopefully be more regular now, though I'm adjusting to a new school and getting lots of homework, so don't count on it…. just a couple of quick things. For one, the brief mentions of lyrics in this chapter are mine, not anyone elses, so it isn't against the rules at all. Yeah. And two, I just wanted to answer a few quick questions…**

**Yes, Harry will see Nimi again. Sorry about any spelling mistakes in this chapter or the last (mainly for Kaaera… sorry!) but I had to get that one out fast, and this one so I don't get lynched…. I checked this one, but I could have missed a few things. Sorry if I did. Yeah. Harry reflexively said he was applying for the DADA job because the position was usually open every summer back home; he forgot about Arabella Figg and said it reflexively. Even if it hadn't been open, he could have said it was a mistake and left. And yes, it was very handy that the resume was still in his pocket… if you look back over HVSC, you'll see I never mentioned him taking it out. **

**One last thing: I just wanted to say that I _love _this fic, even more than the original. Actually, a lot more than the original. :P Anyways, even if I don't update for a while, don't be discouraged, because I will NOT give up on this fic… or AV, for that matter. **

**Aerin**


	4. Chapter Three: Noble Dead

**Chapter Three: Noble Dead**

Remus was pacing the floor. "I can't do this," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I cannot do this. Why did I ever agree to do this?"

The others watched amused as the ex-lycanthrope continued to mutter under his breath. Mel passed her daughter a bowl of popcorn. Nimi looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Take some and pass it on," her mother whispered. "Remus' panic attacks are always fun to watch."

She stifled a snort and took some popcorn before passing it to her father. He snorted and looked over at Mel, winking. She winked back. Nimi turned back to continue too watch Remus, who was currently in the process of grasping his hair and muttering even more.

Several minutes later, Ari finally got fed up. "Alright, honey," she said, stepping in front of him and pulling his hands away from his hair. "It's going to be fine. Really. All you have to do is answer some questions."

Remus stared at her incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me. This is huge! What I say wil forever impact whether or not people want to vote for me! Really, I-"

"Will do wondefully," his wife interrupted. "Just go with your instincts and tell the truth. People admire that. Alright?"

He nodded and let out a deep breath. "Right. Alright." He looked up as the door opened and a Ministry official poked his head in.

"Mr. Lupin sir?" the teen asked nervously. "They're ready for you."

He took another deep breath and nodded to him. "Right. Thanks." He turned to the others, a wry smile on his face. "Wish me luck…"

There was a chorus of "Good luck!"'s as the group split, Remus to go to the stage and the others to join the crowd in their designated seats. The rest of the crew filed into the reserved row in the auditorium connected to the room they had been waiting in, and watched the stage.

"Our next candidate, Remus Lupin," the announcer said. His words were greeted by a round of applause. Remus looked surprised as he came onstage with a wave. The applause grew and he chuckled into the microphone.

"Well, I must say I didn't know that many people actually liked me… rather surprising, really…" There was a round of laughter at his comment before it began.

His joke, however small it had been, had relaxed him, and everything was going well until Rita Skeeter spoke up. "Mr. Lupin, what do you have to tell the public about the death of Harry Potter?"

He froze, feeling a lump in is throat. In the crowd, he could see the others tighten as well, and a stone wall come over his goddaughter's face. He sighed heavily. "Harry was like a nephew to me. I loved him very much, and both I and the Wizardring World will mourn his passing. Next?"

But the blonde woman persisted. "When will the funeral be?"

Several people in the crowd were glaring at her, and even more looked disgusted. "This interview is suppposed to be about his poolicies, Skeeter!" one reporter called out. Several others echoed it, and Remus waited for things to calm down before replying.

"We'll be having a private funeral, so I won't be releasing the date. Are there any other questions? Then thank you; I hope to speak with you all again soon." He turned on his heel and walked offstage as quickly as he could, applause following him but barely getting past the roaring in his ears.

He turned as he felt a hand on his arm. Ari had been the first to force her way through the crowd, though the others were following. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

Remus gave her a sad smile. "Are you?" The question needed no answer, and didn't get one except for her pulling him into a tight embrace. And then they heard the scream.

The hurriedly broke apart and began to shove their way through the crowd that had tightened around the space where the noise had come from, and when they finally reached it, could only stare at the shock that greeted them.

Nikolai was holding Luna close; she was white as a sheet, and it could only be assumed she was the one who screamed. And Nimi was standing, her face pale with loss of blood, her white robes soaked through with the crimson liquid and her finger pointed at an unconscious man on the ground. She had evidently healed the wound, or else she would have no chance of being able to stand now. She turned to look at them as she heard them approach, and smiled slightly before crumpling to the ground in a dead faint.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry shook his head in his sleep, muttering something and clutching his forehead out of habit more than anything else, after his Fifth Year. He moaned and turned to his left in the armchair he had fallen asleep in, researching. And as he slept, he dreamed…

_**.:Dream Sequence:.**_

_He's in the Great Hall when he suddenly stands, his wand, along with the wands of the other professors, pointed at a body on the floor, a body clothed in white. He suddenly pales and vaults over the table, rushing towards the prone figure…_

_The scene changes. He's battling Voldemort and has just taken a spare second to glance over at Nimi. She's battling a Death Eater, he can't see who, and is completely absorbed in it but doing fine. He turns back to Riddle, and a moment later uses his Elemental magic to defeat him. Suddenly, he's falling, and a woman is screaming…_

_Another scene shift. He is with the others, calling Sirius. He realizes abruptly that this and the last have been memories, and it suddenly changes from what he knows. Sirius pushes himself up and glares at him. "You left. You left when we needed you the most, in the aftermath of a battle you as well as caused. Voldemort only fought it because he kenw you would come. It was a trap, and you left us for dead…" _

_"No," he breathes in horror. "No, Sirius, I didn't…" It's too late, however; the scene has changed again, this time to him talking to Lupin about his parents. The other man slowly stops laughing and looks at him with hatred. _

_"You idiot. You abandoned us. You just up and left. Right when we needed your help… I wouldn't blame anyone for hating you. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor…" _

_He covers his ears and shakes his head, drowning out the horrible mantra with one of his own. "I didn't… I'm sorry… I didn't… Sorry… please…" _

_The scene changes are faster now, more rapid. It is almost as though he is sititng in a theater and watching those he cares about yell at him. He is kneeling, still repeating the mantra as Mel, Ari, Luna, Nikolai, Snape, and even Draco come to yell at him. And then it shifts back to the battle, and he's falling, and he can't stop himself. He reaches for Nimi's hand and she looks at him in horror as his hand misses hers… _

_And then all he can see is her face, filled with disgust. "You left. You left me. You say you care about me? I'm **dead**, and it's all your fault. I had just found out about my parents, and I had so much to live for, and then you just up and as good as kill me by leaving me. Murderer. Murderer. It's your fault I'm dead, you murderer. Murderer. Murderer…" _

_"No," he whispers in horror, collapsing into a heap on the floor, begging. "No, Nimi, I didn't mean to, I tried…" And as her accusations continue he begins to cry and accept the truth. "My fault. All my fault…" _

_**.:End Dream Sequence:.**_

"NO!" he shouted as he awakened, sitting bolt upright. "Nimi!" Looking around he found that he was back in his quarters, the copies of the Daily Prophet he had checked out from the Library still on the table in front of him except for the open one in his lap, and the plain piece of wood he was going to carve to look like a wand on the side table next to him. He forced himself to relax.

"It was a dream, Harry," he murmured to himself, trying to convince. "Just a dream. Just a dream…"

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

She glared at her parents. "Is this really necessary?" she growled, jerking her head to indicate Draco standing next to her. "You know perfectly well I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Her father sighed. "Nimi, we know that very well. But when they attacked you, you weren't ready for it. You had no reason to be. We just want you to have someone with you in case you're unprepared again."

She blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Fine. But don't expect me to like it." She spun out of her heel and exited the room, Draco following her. They walked down the corridors in silence for a few moments before Draco spoke.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

She froze. "What?"

The blonde gave her a smirk. "Potter. You loved him. It's rather obvious, really."

She shook her head and continued on her way. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Draco persisted, running to keep up with her. "I may not have known you for all that long, but you're practically shouting at it. You were in the Azkaban Militia, you would never let your guard down in the middle of a crowd, especially now that you've been crowned. But Remus mentioned Harry, and you were too distracted. You-"

She whirled to face him with a glare. "Alright. I did. So what? It doesn't matter. He's _dead_, Draco, and I need to learn to live with it."

"But you can't, can you?" He held up his hand as she angrily opened her mouth. "Look, I'm not trying to provoke you. I'm just pointing out that I'll have to keep a sharper eye out when someone has mentioned him. He was a good man, Nimi, and I'm not trying to say he wasn't or get you upset, I swear."

She sighed and tugged on the loose curl she had blown away earlier. "I know, Draco. I'm sorry I snapped at you, though you can't really blame me. And I'm sorry that my parents are making you do this."

He shrugged. "It's alright. I don't really mind; you're interesting to talk to. Besides, I owe your mother. Should have realized what Lucius was doing, but I was too thick." He shrugged again. "If this will help pay back my debt, then I don't mind at all."

A small smile spread across Nimi's face. "You don't have a debt, but thank you anyways. It's very kind of you."

He mock shuddered. "I am horrified." He smiled at her. "So, where to?"

She screwed her face up in thought. "I don't know. I was planning on going to the Library…"

"Then to the Library it is."

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

"Eleven o'clock on the dot," Harry murmured as he reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. "Skittles," he said softly. The gargoyle sprang aside and Harry got on the first step just as the stairs began to move. When he reached the top he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" the Headmaster called. He entered to find Dumbledore waiting with Floo Powder in hand. "Ah, good! I was hoping it was you. Think this as hard as you can when you step in the Floo." He handed Harry a piece of paper, but he was sure he already knew what it said. Sure enough, 'The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.'

He threw the paper into the fire and watched it shrivel before accepting a handful of powder from Albus and throwing it in, stepping in as the flames turned green. _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12, Grimmauld Place… _The next thing he knew he was standing in a very familiar kitchen with several wands trained on him. He held his hands out and stepped slightly to the side so that Albus wouldn't run into him coming out.

"It's alright," he said slowly, "I'm the new Defense Teacher at Hogwarts. Albus is on his way." Thankfully, it was at that second that the other man stepped through. He took in the sight of the Order members pointing their wands at Harry and smiled slightly.

"While the security is admirable, this is indeed the new Defense professor, as I presume he told you. This is Orion Jamison. He'll be helping us out, though not joining for personal reasons."

"Isn't that a little dangerous Dumbledore?" Snape asked. He was, Harry noticed, the only one who hadn't lowered his wand. "Without being a member, he could say anything."

"Not as I've bound him to an Oath of Silence. Er… rather without his permission…" He cast Harry an apologetic glance.

'Orion' merely smiled. "Well, if you could cast it without me noticing, I deserve it." His voice turned musing. "At least Voldemort won't be able to torture it out of me, if he ever gets his hands on me…"

Surprisingly, no one in the room shuddered at the name. Dumbledore smiled. "Shall we retreat to the Meeting Room?" Snape reluctantly put his wand away and the members filed into the room across the hall. Harry was the last in, following Dumbledore, and ended up sitting between Percy Weasley (he made a mental note to keep an eye on him) and Sirius. Dumbledore was, of course, at the head of the table.

"I call to order the nine hundered and twenty-second meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. First on our agenda- Fred, George, how did the relations with the giants go?"

Fred Weasley shook his head, but it was George who spoke. "They pretty much refused us flat out. For the most part it's only renegades siding with Voldemort now, but the rest of them want to stay neutral."

"With all due respect," Harry spoke up, "How did you adress them?"

Fred looked at Dumbledore, who nodded, before talking to Harry. "Well, the first one we met we called 'Noble Giant' like Dumbledore told us to, and we adressed their leader as 'Your Majesty', or 'Noble King of the Giants'. Why?"

Harry winced at the mention of the word 'Giant'. "Well, that explains at least part of it." At Dumbledore's questioning look he continued. "You see, the Chi'ha take great insult to being called 'giants'. Most of them speak Human now, but they do have a tongue of their own, and you gain respect by using it. Like I said, their name is Chi'ha, the leader would be Tuk'meh… actually, they are rather hypocritical, as their word for human also translates to 'small' or 'insignificant in the grand scheme of things'… but that's beside the point. Pretty much, you had them alienated from the beginnning."

At the look on the others' faces, he amended his statement. "Not that you had any way of knowing… I can barely speak their tongue myself, and only know two people fluent in it and another who can speak at all." _Hagrid, Madame Maxime, and Nimi, which is the only reason I know any…_

Dumbldore looked interested, as did the rest of the members. "How do you know this?"

"A friend of mine," Harry replied carefully. "That, and I've learned the hard way that to get on the good side of another species you need to use their ways, not your own."

"The hard way?" Sirius asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Well, I told Albus that the reason I couldn't join was because I was very nearly a member of a smaller anti-Voldemort organization that ended up betraying me… I learned from their mistakes. Although they were stupid enough to try the centaurs without the proper means."

Suddenly everyone at the table seemed interested in him. "What?" he asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "What did I say?"

"You know how to get the centaurs on our side?" Mel asked curiously. Her accent startled him; in his own world, she had been in England for so long that the Irish in her tone was nearly gone. Here, it was far more pronounced.

"Er… sort of… I know what to do, yes, but I've never actually done it…" That was the truth. It had been Nimi who had spoken with the centaurs, while he gained the alliance of the merpeople.

Dumbledore leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with exitement. "Well, we will certainly need to have you try that… the only person we've ever had on our staff or in the Order who was ever remotely close to the centaurs was Rubeus Hagrid, and he died in 1978."

_Well, that explains the giants. _"I see. Well, I'll gladly try. If you'd like, I'd be happy to help with the Chi'ha too, or teach someoine else how to." He nodded towards Fred and George.

"I will likely take you up on that. Now, our next topic. I have already mentioned this, but we have had information from Severus indicating that Hogwarts will be attacked sometime this year." Snape nodded, and the Headmaster continued. "This means that we will need to take extra precautions. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"We need some sort of safe place for the students," Sirius interjected. "We have the alarms on the wards heightened now, but last time the students were left out in the open or their Common Rooms."

Percy was jotting this down, and Harry could only assume he was a scribe of some sort for the Order. "Indeed," Auriga put in. "We should also have some sort of system alerting us to people with Dark Marks."

"Stakes," Harry put in. "A heavy supply."

Mundungus Fletcher snorted. "And what'll we be needin' those for, then? Vampyres can't come into a dwelling without being invited."

"And what's to stop Voldemort from having someone without the Dark Mark who dwells in the castle invite them in? Then we're faced with vampyres and nothing to defeat them with. Unless we can get the Noble Dead on our side, then we'll need those stakes."

"Noble dead?" Fred asked, a small crease in his forehead. Harry looked around to see more confused faces. He sighed and tugged on a long strand of hair with exasperation.

"Don't tell me. No one here knows about undead hierarchy." Shakes of heads were his only answer, and he slammed his head on the table with a moan. "What are they _teaching _people here!" He sighed. "Vampyres are actually the lowest level of undead hierarchy. They're pretty much hired goons or guerillas. They don't have souls, which means that they have a huge amount of trouble holding off blood lust. In short, they're almost always evil and out for blood. They can sire other vampyres, but they and anyone they sire has to obey the commands of _their_ sire, who is always a master vampyre.

"Master vampyres don't have souls either, but they are their own masters and the masters of those they sire. That means that they can hold off the blood lust better because they can have their vampyres bring them people whenever they want… in short, you're less likely to face them. They usually stay locked up, doing what they please. Sometimes they'll attack, but only when they need to sire. The first vampyre they ever sired will become a master if they're dusted.

"The highest level of vampyres is the Noble Dead. They pretty much control all of the undead. They're either former master vampyres or vampyres who got souls somehow. What that means is that they can feed on anything they want, but don't have to, and can always control the blood lust. They can still sire others, who are automatically master vampyres. They're their own masters, even if they were vampyres before, and all undead have to bow to them.

"If you wanted to get the vampyres off of Voldemort's side, it would be hard but not amazingly difficult. The Noble Dead have declared themselves neutral, but currently don't care what the masters and vampyres do. You'd need to talk to the King of the noble Dead and get him on your side; then they could prevent the masters and vampyres from siding with Voldemort."

The majority of the Order was staring at him dumbly while Dumbledore and several others looked at him in curiosity in hope. "Can you do that too?" Hermione asked hopefully. _Didn't notice her there, _he mused.

"In theory, yes. In practice, no idea. I've only ever spoken to two Noble Dead before, and never the King. Or Queen… I really need to get back in touch with Enand and Feorieliu…"

"Who?" Severus asked, exasperated.

Harry blinked. For a moment he had forgotten he was in this world and not his own. "Enand Darkfire and Feorieliu Steeleye. Friends of mine. The Noble Dead I mentioned. Light undead… Grey really, but not Dark. They don't drink human blood unless they have no choice, and they haven't killed a human in four hundered years, approximately. Last time I spoke with them they were leaning towards our side in the war and Feluleleva Dreadrune was the Queen, but that was a while ago."

"Talk to them as soon as you can," Dumbledore said grimly. "If the vampyres were even just off Voldemort's side we'd be doing much better."

Harry nodded. He had met Enand and Feorieliu afer the Battle of Azkaban… they had come to gather the vampyres left alive and prisoner after the battle. They were Dukes of the Noble Dead in his world, but he didn't even know if they were alive here. It would be good to see them in this world. They had struck up a friendship in his own world after he'd met them, and they were petitioning to the Queen to join the Azkabanians instead of Voldemort when he'd disappeared. He wondered how that had gone, if they were allied now with whoever was ruling Azkaban. He'd left it to Nimi, but… but she was gone.

He stared at nothing for a moment as the meeting continued. He would find a way to get the Noble Dead and the vampyres to join them in this war. He owed it to everyone he had failed to do better this time around.

He owed them big.

**A/N: Before anyone asks, _no_, this will _not _be Nimi/Draco. Not even while Harry and Nimi are seperated. No. Nuh-uh. No. Yes, Draco will eventually have romance, though not much, and I won't tell you with whom. Also, the vampyre hierarchy is a mix of info from BtVS and the Dhampir books with a bit of my own thrown in. Credit where credit is due…**

**Kaaera: No, you misunderstood me! It doesn't bother me at all, but my computer has no spell check, and human errors are commonly made…. especially by me. :P No, I'm a spelling and grammar freak too… I hate it when I look back at my work and notice mistakes. Grrr… XD**

**Aerin**


	5. Chapter Four: Firenze and Funerals

**Chapter Four: Firenze and Funerals**

Breakfast the next day was a rather strained affair. Nimi was ignoring her parents- while she knew that they were only worried about her, she still felt that she could handle it on her own. Her parents, in return, were looking at her with the last bits of fear still present in their eyes. She had to admit that she could not imagine how terrifying it would have been, to see your child standing there, crimson stained on white…

She shook her head, and her hair smacked Draco's face, who was sitting next to her. He mock-scowled and made a great show of rubbing it. 'Sorry,' she mouthed. He shrugged, as if to tell her he didn't mind. She nodded, and pushed her chair away from the table, standing. In an instant, Draco had followed. She made a left turn after exiting the kitchen and began to walk towards her room.

Draco walked beside her; today they were going at a comfortable pace, as both were, for the most part, calm. "Draco," she said suddenly. "Remus said there would be a private funeral. We've mentioned it before, but… who's working on the details?"

He looked surprised. "Your parents are, as Harry's godparents. You didn't know?" She shook her head. "I guess they thought that it would upset you… huh. It's to be held on July 31st at Hogwarts."

"On the day where it all began at the place where it all ended," she whispered. "It makes sense." She smiled at him sadly. "Thank you, Draco. I think I'll just… go to my room now. See you in a bit…" She entered the door on her left and shut it behind her before collapsing on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Oh Harry," she whispered. "I wish you had never knew me. Maybe you would still be here." And as she fell into a restelss sleep, tears streamed down her face and her head began to throb…

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry took a calming breath as he stood before the path into the Forbidden Forest near the Groundskeeper's Hut. He couldn't think of it as Hagrid's; in fact, he couldn't bear to think of Hagrid at all, or the man that had been his first friend and then betrayed him… He shook his head and continued to stare into the forest's dark depths.

"You're sure you're willing to do this, Orion?" Dumbledore asked, concerned. It had been almost two weeks since the Order meeting- in fact, it was Harry's birthday today. Dumbledore had wished him many happy returns, and gotten him a pair of warm woolen socks and a bag of lemon drops. He had asked again as well, and Harry had agreed to go into the forest and try and talk to the centaurs. "Their help would be much appreciated, but not necessary…"

"I'm sure," Harry said firmly. "I need to do this. We need all the help we can get, especially from those on school grounds. When Voldemort attacks again, we'll need as many forces as possible inside of whatever he'll set up to keep us from escaping. I'll see you soon, sir." With that, a determined look came over his face and he began to walk into the forest.

Shortly he had to cast "Lumos"; as no one was here and he didn't need to use trhe fake wand he had made, each of his fingertips glowed with a ball of light. He idly wondered how long it would take for the centaurs to find him. As he continued on his way, it turned out he didn't have long to wait.

After just a few short moments, a centaur he recognized stepped out of the woods. "Who comes on our land?" Looking arround surreptitiously, he could see several others hiding in the trees. He was surrounded.

Perhaps that was why Firenze looked so surprised when Harry dropped his Metamorphmagus disguise. "My name is Harry James Potter," he said softly. Centaurs could always tell when you lied; it was best to just not. "And I am from a world parallel to this one, which is somewhat similar to my own. In my world, I am the Heir of the Six and Lord of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, defeater of Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. In my world, I know you, Firenze. You onced saved my life, and I feel I must return you the favour."

"Why?" Firenze asked, hiis tone only mildly surprised. He could tell that Harry was not lying, that much he knew. Whether he trusted him or not was an entirely different story. "I have seen nothing in the stars that foretells my danger."

"It is not your danger," Harry said calmly, "But the danger of this forest and your people. Voldemort intends to attack the castle once again this coming year, and if you do not help to defend it, it will fall. This would mean that you would be left with Riddle near your territory, and I highly doubt he will stay out of it. He believes your kind unworthy, this I know for a fact, and would not hesitate to purge you."

"Give me proof of his atrocities, of why you wish him defeated, and I will give you my answer, and the answer of my tribe, as I am their leader and they answer to me."

It was Harry's turn to be mildly surprised; Firenze hadn't had such a rank in his own world. But anxiety overrode it; this was the most crucial part of his conversation. Nimi had told him that the centaurs had agreed to try and repay the debt that Firenze owed Harry to try and regain some of his 'lost honour', though it was far easier back home than here, as Firenze wasn't a Divinations professor here. But the trump card that she had had to play was one he would play as well; an appeal to their own nature, to Firenze's reaction to what he had once seen.

"Riddle is willing to drink the blood of a unicorn." Gasps could be heard echoing arround him, and Firenze himself looked horrified. Once again, it had worked. The truth came through.

"The blood of a unicorn," Firenze breathed. "You have our support, Harry James Potter. When the castle is attacked, we will come. I have but one question, if we must contact any of your kind. I have read the stars; you were meant to live here, and yet you died. If that is so, what is the name that you go by?"

"Orion," Harry said quietly. "Orion Jamison. My godfather's name came from the stars, and my father's name was James. I am the Defense teacher at Hogwarts, and I welcome your assistance."

"Orion." Firenze whispered. "The hunter. I wish you luck in all your endeavours, Hunter, and may what you seek find you. And soon." In a moment, all of the centaurs had vanished into the inky blackness, and Harry was left to resume his disguise and walk back to Dumbledore, a large grin on his face but a mildly confused look in his eyes. What had Firenze meant?

_"And soon…."_

What was that meant to mean? Did it mean that soon he would die, and be reunited with Nimi and his parents? Soon he would return home? Soon Voldemort would be defeated? He was still thinking when he came out of the forest and saw Dumbledore waiing patiently.

The elder wizard brightened up immediately. "Did you succeed? Will they help us?"

"When Hogwarts is attacked, they will defend it."

The Headmaster smiled in relief. "Wonderful. I cannot thank you enough. Although," he added, a small frown creasing his forehead, "Professor Snape came out a few moments ago to tell me they thought they had found a Boggart in the castle- would you like to use it in lessons?"

"That would be wonderful," Harry replied at once. "Thank you. Where is it? I might just go take a look at it, find a good place to store it…."

"It's in the storage closet on the Third Floor; I'll show you. This way." The two most powerful wizards in the current world began to stroll to Hogwarts, and the smallest bit of their burden began to lift.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWannderer**

It was supposed to be his birthday today, she mused. Instead, his closest friends had come to celebrate his death. Severus, Draco, her parents, Ari, Remus, Luna, Nikolai, and their families had all been invited to come- except for Draco's, as no one wanted Lucius or Narcissa there. Hermione Granger, her parents, the Weasleys, Dumbledore, and Harry's other old friends, including Neville Longbottom, had been invited as well. Nimi had mentioned to her mother what Harry had said in the Ministry about forgiving but not forgetting, and both agreed that he would have wanted them there.

She vaguely recognized the song playing in the background as the one that Harry remembered as his mother's lullabye. She silently thanked her parents- it was a nice touch, even if it did make her want to cry even more. Azkabanian sevices were different from many, in that there wasn't any sort of priest. There could be if the deceased wanted it of course, but Harry had never mentrioned it and Mel and Sirius had chosen.

In Azkabanian services, everyone important to the dead in life and everyone who wished to spoke their best memories of the deceased in life, of what they were like, what they should be remembered for. There were no speeches that could apply to anyone, but only dubiously fit dead loved ones; there were only people who mourned their passing and wished they were stiill there.

She had refused to wear black robes, as everyone else was. She could not wear a black cloak without thinking of her time as High War Admiral and Primary Advisor and how Harry had transfigured it for her. Instead, she wore a plain black gown with a square cut neck and two pieces of fabric that hung around her arms in the semblance of sleeves; as soon as she lifted her arm, however, a slit was revealed and they drifted to hang behind her. It fell elegantly around her feet and had a high waistline of simple black stitching. Her circlet looked oddly misplaced among all of the darkness, but she liked to think that that was what Harry had tried to give her. _A light amongst all of the darkness…_

The service would begin at noon. It was held out on the Hogwarts grounds, near a wheeping willow next to the lake. There was no body, so there was no casket, but there was a pedastol for the speaker to stand at. A microphone had been equipped so that everyone could hear the person speaking, and Nimi knew, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that she would be asked to go first.

She was the Lady Azkaban; of course they would ask her to go first. It would be a huge breach in etiquette for anyone else to try to, or for her to turn it down once it was offered. She had had to read his will, and she would have to be the first to speak at his funeral to. She would just have to wait three more minutes, and then she would have to take the pedastol and remember….

Threee minutes passes far too quickly when you don't want it to. Everyone had arrived, and everyone was waiting. Her mother walked over, looking apologetic. "Nimi…" she began, her voice soft.

She shook her head. "I know. I'm going." Mel shot her another look of apology that Nimi waved off. She began her way through the crowd, which parted to let her through. All too soon she had reached the pedastol. Taking a deep, steadying breath she stood on the platform and began to speak. "This is the funeral of Harry James Potter." Her voice was numb, but her eyes showed how much this hurt her. "I am Lady Nimi Stardreamer-Black of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, and a close friend of Harry. For those who don't know, this is an Azkabanian funeral-" she choked on the last word "-and as such, everyone who wishes to gets a turn to share a few favorite memories of Harry until no one ehas anything more to say. I'll be speaking first."

When no protests came, she squeezed her eyes shut and began to speak. "Harry was an amazing person. I can't think of a single moment I spent with him that I regret, not one. My fondest memory of him, though, was when he was crowned Lord Azkaban." She laughed, and was mildly surprised to find that tears were running down her cheek. "I had just pronounce him Lord and he was going to make his speech, and all of a sudden he just leaned over and kissed me on the cheek." Almost unconsciously her hand flitted up to touch it. "I was just so surprised, and he sort of smirked at me, and then he gave his speech… and then he took my hand and we walked off to go back to the castle. We didn't say anything… we didn't need to. He was my best friend in the world, and I will miss him so much.

"Harry kept to himself a lot. He had his inner demons like anyone else. He hated when people called him the Boy-Who-Lived, or envied him for it; he felt that his full title should be 'the Boy-Who-Lived-Because-His-Parents-Died'. He was always very modest about his accomplishments; he never really felt that he was anything amazingly special, even though he was. Not because he defeated Riddle so many times, or because he saved so many lives, but because he was just him, and that was all he ever needed to be. And anyone who asked him to be anything else was the one in the wrong, not him for refusing them. He was something not many people could be: true to himself, and happy with it." Her voice became even more choked with tears. "Goodbye, Harry Potter. We'll miss you."

"Good bye, Harry Potter," the audience echoed. She looked down and walked off the platfrom, moving to stand next to the willow, a few feet away from the crowd. A scattering of applause could be heard. The next person to come to the platform was, to her mild surprise, Albus Dumbledore. She felt a brief flash of anger but banished it from her mind. The man was a bastard, but Harry had forgiven him, and that should be good enough for her. He had never done anything to her directly, so why was she so angry?

She looked up as the old man cleared his throat. "Hello, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I am very grateful to be here, as I feel there are some things I need to share. Througout his first four years and part of his fifth at Hogwarts, Harry trusted me more than anything. When he testified under Veritaserum to being guilty, I was shocked but never thought otherwise. I should have had more trust in him.

"I have always thought that the things I do are for the greater good, and I have never strayed from that belief. Harry forgave me, though he no longer trusted me. I am sorry that he lost his faith in me although I was only doing what I felt was right." He sighed and adjusted his half-moon glasses. "My fondest memory of Harry was when he first set foot into the Great Hall. The look of wonder on his face at something so many of us take for granted. Thank you." He stepped down from the stand and seemed mildly surprised that he was met with a few glares and only the smallest bits of applause.

Sirius shot him a brief look of venom before standing on the platform. He looked down at his hands before beginning to speak, but Nimi found that she couldn't hear him throught the rush in her ears. The bastard. How dare he. How _dare _he? He should never have been invited. He was shaming Harry's memory by even being here. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to keep the tears away and turned away, walking towards the Forbidden Forest. She ignored the curious glances sent her way, the mutterings and whispers that followed her. Her sleeves and the bottom of her dress flared behind her, along with the ribbon at her waistline as she increased her pace to a run, needing to just escape, just get away from everything….

She collapsed in the second or third line of trees, not caring that she was soiling her dress or that her chest hurt from shaking with sobs. She could only concentrate on one thing, on one face.

_Harry…_

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectSulerFinderWanderer**

Harry glanced at the shaking closet in front of him once more before idly looking towards Dumbledore. "I can handle this, sir," he said with a nod. "Thank you for showing me where it was. I should be done soon; I'll see you at breakfast." The Headmaster shot him a knowing glance before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Harry turned back to the closet and raised an eyebrow. "Dementors, here I come…" He pointed to the door and it swung open. A tall black hooded finger floated out, pointing a gnarled hand at Harry. This part was familiar; it was the next that made him freeze in his tracks.

'_Lily, take Harry and run. I'll hold him off.'_

'_No! Take me, but not Harry. Please, not Harry…' A high pitched cackle of laughter…_

'_Harry, there's nothing you can do. He's gone. Harry, he's d-'_

'_It was all your fault Harry. You should be here, and I should be alive. It was your fault.'_

_And then something he didn't recognize at all…. "He should still be here. You should have been able to save him. You said you'd watch his back, and you just sat by and let him die."_

Images flashed behind his eyes. Sirius fell into the Veil, over and over… Remus' back stiffened as the full moon emerged from behind a cloud… Faces stared accusingly at him in a courtroom… And Nimi looked at him in disgust. _All your fault Harry…_

"W-waddiwassi!" he managed to stutter. The Dementor-boggart was pushed backwards by some invisible force into a suitcase he had opened. With a shaky flick of his wrist the suitcase closed and locked with a snap. He collapsed into a shivering heap on the polished floor. It had never been that bad before, never. And what had been that last voice? It had sounded almost like Sirius, but he knew it wasn't a memory of his. Or of Nimi's, for that matter, from what he had gotten with the bond. So what was it?

And why had it sent such a sense of terror washing over him?

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

"Your dad told him off, you know."

Nimi looked up to see Draco standing behind her, looking worried. She knew that her eyes were red and puffy and that her dress was a mess. She had gotten rid of the dirt, but it was still amazingly rumpled. She was sittint leaning against a holly tree, tear tracks still fresh on her face. "What?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

The blonde boy moved to sit down beside her. "Your dad. I mean, he didn't say it directly because he felt it would ruin things further, but he did mention something about how Harry hated it when people didn't respect others or their memories, and glared at him." There was a breif pause before he spoke again. "They're all worried about you, you know."

She sighed and wiped her face off. "I know. Half of them because I'm the Lady Azkaban, and half because I'm me. And then there's my parents, who are half worried that some asassin will pop out and get me and half worried that I'll throw myself into the lake, hoping to see Harry again."

He looked at her searchingly. "Would you?"

She shook her head. "No. He wouldn't want me to. He would hate for me to do that. He'd tell me that I was throwing my life away, and I could never stand for him to be angry with me. So no." She looked at him. "Speaking of my parents being worried about asassination, did they get pissed because you didn't follow me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, but I did. I waited until you had just gotten into the forest, before taking off after you. I figured that would give you a minute to yourself without someone there to bug you… and then I realized you were crying and I hid behind that tree." He jerked his head to indicate a birch. "And then I came out when you stopped, and you know the rest."

She smiled at him shakily. "Thank you, Draco. Thank you very much. It means a lot to me."

Draco shrugged awkwardly. "It's really not a big deal. As Lucius never seemed to realize, in my family, honour is the most important thing… and on my honour, I owe your family a huge debt. And I'd probably do it anyways." She thought she caught him muttering something along the lines of "Or Potter would never forgive me," but she wasn't sure, and decided not to say anything.

Instead, the only thing that came out of her mouth was "We should head back." He nodded, and helped her to her feet. She muttered a quick charm to straighten her robes and another to fix her appearance so the tear tracks could not be seen… but she could still feel the saline sticking to her face as she and Draco made their way out of the forest and into the setting sun.

**A/N: For those who are wondering, there _was _a point to the assasination attempt last chapter. Really, it's important to the plot; not just some random thing I threw in. Yeah. **

**Had one very interesting question by Terris1: Are Harry's nightmares the product of his own, or is there a bigger plot behind them? The answer is… you already know the answer in a way. If you look for it and think about it, it makes sense… But all will be revealed shortly. :P **

**Aerin**


	6. Chapter Five: Vaguely

**Chapter Five: Vaguely**

Harry muttered something incomprehensible under his breath and scribbled another note onto the parchment before looking back at the map spread out in front of him. It was positioned so that he could easily see an area in the mountains near the coastline. Said area was circled with red pen and several spots within it were crossed off.

"So they're definitely not at Base anymore, with the flooding… where could they BE!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "What I really need," he muttered, "Is the War Room. And the wall map. That's assuming that it even exists here…" That was when he realized with horror that not only had he not looked up farther on Remus, he hadn't done any searching on what had happened to his people here.

"Damn it," he muttered, rubbing at his forehead. He had a splitting headache; probably from staring at the map for hours. Which meant that it was probably time for a change of scenery; newspapers and books, here he came.

A few minutes later he was back in his room with the Sunday Prophets from 1976 onwards and two heavy books, one entitled "Azkaban: The Shrouded Past" and the other "Caer Azkaban: The Truth Behind Behind the Mask". He settled down in the armchair and began to read, starting with the books.

What few people knew was that he was a fast reader. He could easily finish a hundered and fifty pages in an hour, usually at least two hundered. Of course, the Dursley's had always drilled into his head that he should never be better than Dudley, and as they were proud that their pig of a son could read a page in an hour, he hadn't exactly had much practice growing up. Now, though, he could read as much as he wanted… and he finished the five-hundered some page book in two hours.

It wasn't the innacuracy that made him mad. No, it really didn't bother him that the mainlanders thought that the Lord Azkaban was some sort of immortal that made sacrifices to the heathen gods in order to retain his power. Nor did it bother him that they completely ignored the fact that there had been several ruling Lady Azkabans in history. And it really didn't upset him at all to learn that it was considered fact that the Lord Azkaban was an evil dictator.

No, what really got on his nerve weren't the _lies _that the Ministry had said, but the _damage _of what they had done, and _why _they had told those lies in the first place. The Lord Azkaban during Grindlewald's time had apparently died, due to the fact that the Lord Azkaban had been claimed to have "disappeared" during that time in his rule, and the Ministry had consequentially taken over ten years earlier. As such, their hold on the island was even more dynamic.

The book said that the "heathens" that lived on the island had been put to work by the Ministry, "usefully battling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named". In other words, they were sacrificing his people to feed their schemes to beat Tom. And then there was the fact that Arthos, the most sacred of the Druid Isles, was being _mined_. Mined. As if it was a common resource pit.

He had never been so angry in his life. He barely noticed the objects in his room tangibly shaking. How _dare _those fools do this? How had he been _stupid _enough not to check sooner?

The only question was, what to do? He knew that the Rune would not allow itself to be concealed while he was on the Isle; that wasn't a worry. But did he go as Orion Jamison, or in another disguise? When did he go? Should he go?

He stopped that thought as soon as he came. He had sworn to protect his people, and protect them he would. But how? What was he supposed to do? He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, forcing himself to calm down. He was not going to leave his people in pain a moment longer. He would go now, and he would go as himself. He wasn't going to have the hazard of two identities, nor deal with the trouble of trying to hide where he was from one group while he was with the other.

But the only problem was- what would happen if they researched his bloodlines? Would they find that Orion Jamison was not only not related to Azkaban, but didn't exist? Of course, they had never discovered how he, Harry Potter was related to Azkaban…. he remembered telling Nimi it was "another puzzle for another time". They had been in the middle of a war there, and even moreso here. They may not even bother to research him, and if they did they would probably come to the same conclusion he himself had; the Lost Line of Azkaban that he had descended from was just that, lost, and eventually they would give up on it.

He hoped they would, at least, because he had to go. What about Remus, though? He looked quickly over at the newspapers. "They'll still be here when I get back," he murmured to himself. "My people need me." He nodded firmly and pulled on his cloak, drawing the hood over his head and Apparating out of Hogwarts in the style he was used to; one without a pop.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi staggered with a small moan, rubbing her forehead. "I hate migraines," she muttered, making her way into the bathroom and pulling a bottle of extra-strength Headache Potion from the cabinet, uncorking the bottle and swallowing it in one gulp. This was, unfortunately, becoming a morning routine- she'd have to talk to Helene sooner or later. The only problem was being so _busy_…

She sighed and leaned on the counter for a moment, examining herself in the mirror. Her eyes were slightly puffy, she noted. Idly wondering if she had been crying in her sleep again, she performed a quick charm to cover her tired appearance and walked back into her bedroom, heading to her wardrobe.

Almost without thinking about it, she reached for the black cloak with the Rune on the back. She froze and drew back her hand as if burned before reaching back in and pulling out a set of white robes, same as she always wore now. After quickly changing out of her nightgown she returned to the bathroom, absentmindedly pointing her finger at her hairbrush and levitating it to brush her hair.

She sighed at her reflection. It didn't matter what she looked like; she would still be treated like a glass doll by everyone she cared about and doubted by everyone else. Drawing back the curtain to look out the window, she was mildly surprised to see it was still dark out. Maybe she'd take a walk down to the Throne Room; there was always good star viewing from there.

Completely forgetting the nightmare of a week before, she stepped into a pair of white slippers and set out through the darkened hallways of Castle Azkaban.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

He arrived on the shores of the Isle silently, and his palm blazed for a moment as the Rune reappeared with a pleasant tingling sensation. His anger melted away for a moment as he just stared at his foggy surroundings, and he felt, for the first time since he had arrived here, at peace. He was home at last.

He looked off towards Castle Azkaban, which, to his relief, still stood tall. He straightened his robes, ran a hand through his hair (a habit he had picked up after watching Snape's memorty in the Pensieve), and, raising the hem of his cloak so that iit would no longer drag in the mud, began to set off towards the towering peaks of his home.

The mists, as he knew they would, drew to an end about three hundered feet in from the edge, and he had the sense to cast a Dissilussionment Charm over himself before continuing onwards. The first obstacle he passed was the alley between the hospital and the warehouse, and he halted for a moment, a dark look overcoming his features as he remembered that battle and the impacts it had.

Shaking his head, he continued onwards… only to stop in horror as he reached the Town Square moments later. Frozen, unable to move for sheer shock, he could only stare at the sight in front of him. People he recognized from his own world were towing rocks from a quarry… _right in the middle of Town Square. _Not only was it against every principle the Azkabanians had, he could see the unmistakable glow of magical bonds on their dirty skin… and he wasn't blind enough not to see the Minister's Guard watching them work, small smiles on their faces.

He could not remember when he had been more angry, if he ever had been. He was not sure when he had first felt such a connection to his people, but the injustice of what the Ministry had done was pulling at his very soul, screaming for him to do something, anything. And so he did.

Shaking with anger, he barely managed to cast the necessary spells to make himself look transparent and ghost-like. Metamorphosing to a form looking suspiciously like Godric Gryffindor, he levitated himself to the top of a large rock and lowered the Dissilusionment charm. No one noticed him until he cast a wandless Sonorus charm and began to speak.

"People of Azkaban!" he roared. "Your freedom is at hand!" Everybody froze and turned to stare at him. The Minister's Guard seemed too shocked to do anything, and the Azkabanians seemed the same way. "Remember the times when you were your own, and know they will come again! The Lord Azkaban shall return!" With a poof of smoke he returned the spell and fled, nimbly dodging the curses the Minister's Guard sent his way.

He sighed heavily, an angry but satisfied smile forming on his face. But what to do next… the most sensible thing would be to see if the Council was still intact… otherwise, he would have to approach the Ministry, which would be awful. It was quite likely he would be locked away…. what to do? With another sigh, he began to run towards the Castle.

He would just have to figure it out as he went along.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Nimi sighed and rubbed at her temples as she continued towards… anywhere, really. Absentmindedly turning down the hallway that led to the Throne Room, she quickly became lost in thoughts. Fudge was still trying to take control of Azkaban, and she didn't want to imagine what things would be like if he succeeded. She shivered slightly. She would never let her people down- Fudge would never win.

Still, the safeguard hidden away in the Azkaban Treasury made her feel all the more safe. She knew that transferring the Lordship to Sirius's line had been what Harry had wanted when he had named her Lady, and she had a sneaking suspicion her mother may be expecting. As such, she felt no guilt in her will naming Sirius as Lord and Mel as Lady in the event that anything happened to her.

She was so wrapped in her thoughts that she paid no attention to the increasing pressure in her head until a sudden pang worse than the Cruciatus burst behind her eyes. She felt her knees trembling, and in that single moment everything in her world changed.

Nimi collapsed, clutching her forehead. She vaguely felt her hair ruffle as something green shot over it, lighting the corridor. She vaguely heard a cry of pain, a thump and a vaguely familiar scream. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a bleach-blonde figure tackling an unfamiliar one, and a flash of red light. As the corners of her eyes grew dark she saw the blonde figure racing towards her and outstretched her hand towards him, silently begging for help.

Their fingers brushed, but it was too late- she could feel herself falling backwards into oblivion as the familiar scream continued, and she vaguely recognized it as her own.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry sighed and looked up at the castle. He stood in front of the gates, which were guared by several more of the Minister's Guard. Bititng his lip he silently levitated himself over the gates without much thought and lowered himself down on the other side, walking on the familiar path towards one of his favorite places in the world.

Hesitating at the front door, he paused for a moment before silently Apparating just inside the foyer. He looked around and was only mildly surprised to see the white sheets covering the furniture, and the dust caking nearly everything. It made sense that no one cared to keep the place clean, even if it did cause an ache to begin inside his chest.

Slowly he walked up the once-elegant staircase and began to walk the mentally engrained route to the Throne Room. He knew that if there was anything to find here, that was where it would be. Looking around as his feet carried him down dingy corridors, he shuddered lightly. _How does one deal with returning to a plce full of fond memories and seeing it as a crypt?_

_  
_And then he was there. He paused for only a moment, staring at the heavy doors that in his world were always open. With a small sigh, he slowly reached out and pushed them open. A single look, and he froze in shock. Nothing, nothing at all could have prepared him for what lay inside.

Fude sat on the throne (a small, posessive part of him whispered _mine_…) and was speaking with several oddly familiar faces, people that seemed to be protesting against something… a moment later he recognised them from the old Council, but that wasn't what had surprised him so. No, what had made him look on in horror was the pain.

There was a poor soul being beaten in the corner by a sadistic Minister's Guard, and the walls seemed to be caked in blood. All action ceased as Harry stared around the room in horror and shock. "Who are you?" Fudge asked, standing and turning slightly purple, making Harry twitch and remember the cruelties of Uncle Vernon. _But they were nothing close to what my people have had to endure without me…_

He smirked slightly. "I am salvation," he said calmly, but the undertones of anger in his voice made every soul in the room inadvertently shudder. "For you, Cornelius Fudge, have violated the most simple truth of all: integrity. And I come to reclaim it." He displayed the Rune of Azkaban, and all hell broke loose.

The Council members gasped, hope and fear both alighting their faces at once as the Minister's Guard leapt at Harry quickly enough that he would never have been able to avoid it if not for his Seeker reflexes. With a single move he almost tiredly cast a silent Stunner at the man, and he collapsed to the ground like a deadweight. Ignoring Fudge and the others, he made his way to the shuddering figure in the corner and slowly tilted their head up.

The figure flinched as he touched them, and slowly looked up to meet his eyes. As they did so, he felt his heart swell in rage. It was a girl, a little girl that couldn't be any older than six years old. A girl with beautiful blue eyes that trembled with tears, a dirt covered face, hair chopped short and far-too-big clothes covered with blood. A moment of déjà vu hit him as his mind cast back to a little black-haired boy with emerald eyes squeezing himself into a corner of the living room, trying to escape his Uncle's swinging fist.

He swung around, the tips of his fingers inches away from Fudge's nose as the man tried to sneak up on him. "So you find it acceptable to beat children into submission to fuel a battle you've been losing for near twenty-seven years… a battle _you _lost before it began? You are a fool Fudge… no, a fool is too good for you. You're a monster."

The squat man sputtered with rage. "Well I've never… of all the… you have _no _right…"

Harry snorted. "On the contrary, _Minister_, I have all the right in the world." He displayed the Runed once more. "This shows me for what I truly am… the rightful leader of this Isle. And I command you to remove your failing government from it and its affairs. _Now_."

The other man regained the small bit of composure he owned. "Now see here, you have no right to barge in here like this. This island is Ministry property-"

"No it isn't," Harry said calmly. "There is a clause on the Agreement that says that if the Ministry hasd taken over the Isle- not island, by the way- and an Heir is found, he or she is the rightful ruler of the Isle, and the Ministry is to evacuate at the Heir's convenience. Which, for me, is right now. So please, get lost."

The other man was losing his grip. "This is… this is completely bogus! There is no way to prove if you're the Heir or if that's just some fancy tattoo. So I'm afraid, sir, that you must be leaving."

Harry merely snorted. "No way to prove it? Let's see…. if it was just a tattoo, could I do this?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. As he reached peace, the dried blood separated itself from the walls of the room and vanished into nothingness. If anyone had been looking at the scared little girl they would find her clean now, and as the Minister glanced out of the door of the Throne Room he could see dust vanish from the Castle, age old protraits revealed in all their glory, torches lighting as a wave of sheer power seemed to eminate frm the intruder.

Blankets twirled themselves off of now clean and restored furniture, disappearing into nothingness. All across the Isle things changed to what they had once been as a wave of almost tangible power spread over them. Azkabanians looked in shock at each other as bruises faded and dirt lifted, Minister's Guards started each other in a panic, trying to figure what on earth was going on, and a rainstorm broke out over Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, washing away four generations of suffering. Mermaids poked their heads out of now calm waters and splashed around, and threstrals poked their heads out of the Lord Azkaban's barred up stables, eager to join the recognized call of their master.

Fudge stared in awe and horror at the imposing figure standing before him, and Harry was glad at his foresight to return to his Orion Jamison guise- he knew that Fudge would never forget his face now. "M-my Lord," he stuttered. "I… I am so sorry for disbelieving you… you would not believe the imposters we've received… er…"

"You can say nothing Fudge," he said quietly, calmly. "Get out. Get off of my Isle, and take your lackies with you. Azkaban will neevr again fall under the rule of a tyrant such as yourself, and if I have any say, you will be impeached before you can say 'oh buggrit'. Leave now, before I lose my temper." Fudge squeaked and fairly ran out of the room.

Harry continued to ignore the two shocked Council members and turned back to the little girl. He was mildly surprised to see that his essence had affected her too, but she was Azkabanian, so it made sense. She was fairly emaciated, and her eyes held the familiar haunted look he had seen in both his world's Sirius and his own. Her hair was a dark brown streaked with a lighter one that made his throat choke up as he thought of Nimi. She was skinny and small, and once again he was reminded of his past.

"Hello," he said softly, gently. "My name is Orion. What's yours?"

"E-eight hundered ninety-four," she said with a small shiver. "Please don't hurt me…"

A frown creased his brow and he felt anger rear it's head up inside of him again. "I promise I won't hurt you," he said quietly. "Do you have a name other than a number?" She frowned and shook her head. "Do you know where your mother is?"

She bit her lip. "I don't have a mommy. She died. I don't have a daddy either."

He felt a pang of comraderie and pity. "Who takes care of you then?"

She shrugged. "No one cares about other people much. I guess I just… take care of myself. The M-minister's Guard feeds us, and the other people in my work group help me out sometimes…"

He could see her getting agitated and quickly interrupted her. "If you don't have anyone to take care of you, do you think you would like it if I did?" She shrugged and then nodded shakily, her eyes wide. "Okay. I think that I would like to call you Lily, if you don't mind it. I think I'll have trouble remembering a big number like that. Would that be alright?"

She mouthed the name. _Lily_. He smiled sadly. He knew what it was like to find yourself with a name. When he had entered school the Dursley's had been forced to tell him his name was Harry Potter… before that, he only knew himself as Boy. And somehow, he knew that this little girl would uphold his mother's name well.

He finally turned to acknowledge the two Council members. "My Lord…" the woman murmured and dropped to her knees, the man shortly following. Harry laughed quietly.

"Don't bother doing that, please. I'm going to need to check that the Minister reallly is evacuating _his_ people and see that _my _people know what's going on… come on."

He took Lily's hand and helped her to her feet, where she stood shakily. He was relieved his essence had healed her… he hated seeing others in pain. As the four of them set out, the Council members still in shock, Harry felt a vaguely familiar tingle in the back of his mind, one he couldn't place, and the vague beginnnings of a headache.

**A/N: Well, hello again… I am so sorry that this has taken so long… I've had so much to do it isn't even funny. I shall try to get the next chapter out MUCH faster, which, as I already have part of it written, shouldn't be too hard. I also have the next chapter of AV halfway done if anyone here reads that as well. **

**As I've realized that I've never really specified and that with this chapter things are becoming confusing, a pronunciation guide can be found below. **

**Nimi Stardreamer: KNEE-mee star-DREEM-er**

**Enand Darkfire: eh-NAND DARK-fire**

**Feorieliu Steeleye: Fe-or-REE-loo still-EYE**

**Feluleleva Dreadrune: fe-LULE-leva dreh-DRUNE**

**Nikolai Nadreski: NIK-o-lye nah-DRES-kee**

**Meliara: mel-ee-AR-a **

**Arianrhod: a-ri-ON-rud**

**Also, the vampyre names were based off of the Seventh Sanctum name generator. Credit where credit is due… And for those who've wondered, yes, I mean to spell vampyre with a "y". It's a common misconception that it has to be spelled with an "i", like how people automatically assume magic is spelled "m a g i c", when you can substitute a "y" or a "k" and still have it be correct. Yeah. **

**Aerin**


	7. Chapter Six: The Raven and the Writing D

**Chapter Six: The Raven and the Writing Desk**

Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. After making sure Fudge and his lackies had all left and addressing the general public, he had been forced to sit for hours answering question after bloody question.

His people seemed shocked with their newfound freedom; he had seen people laughing, crying, hugging and kissing as the news sunk in that the Ministry was finally off of their turf- for good, if Harry had anything to say about it.

Once it was finally all over about six hours later, he had shown Lily to a guest room and she had almost immediately fallen asleep in the bed. He had pulled the covers over her and smiled at the look of peace that overtook her face, her mouth slightly open, looking relaxed for the first time that day. Putting on anightlight, remembering the nightmares he used to have, he quietly shut her door and went next door into his room- the same room he had used to occupy.

Looking around, he noted how different things were. An old portrait was leaning against the wall, and looking at it a tinge of nostalgia came over him. A man sat leaning against an oak tree, looking out at the water of a beautiful lake, a golden circlet shining on his head. Imprinted on the frame were the words "Arad, Sixth Lord of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles". Sixth… that would mean he was the grandson of the man who had created the Veil? He had no idea; it was Nimi that was good at that sort of thing…

A pang sprung in his chest as her name crossed his mind. He missed her so much… With a heavy sigh he collapsed onto the bed when a sudden idea hit him. The room looked…. empty. What it needed was another portrait. Now, what was that spell… Screwing his face up in concentration, he pictured the exact parameters he wanted in his mind before muttering the words.

He felt his heart tighten and then melt as he looked at the framed portrait now sitting on his bed next to him. Feeling somewhat drained, he gently leaned the portrait up against the wall, changed into his pyjamas, and collapsed on the bed and into sleep.

If anyone had been watching this htrough the window, they might have, in curiosity, crept through the room and went to stand in front of the protrait before staring in awe. It was surrounded by a simple dark wood frame, and showed a young woman with hair that seemed an interesting mix of light and dark brown sitting at a writing desk in room of what seemed to be a castle.

She was caught in the act of tapping a quill to her mouth, staring thoughtfully out the window at a full moon risen, sending beams of moonlight all throughout the painting. Neat handwriting could be seen on the pages spread before her, and the only other things on top of the desk seemed to be an inkpot and a cloak, which was truly being suspended by a peg on the edge of the desk. Slightly crumpled and rather hard to see was a rune that most in the castle would recognize as the Rune of Azkaban.

A look of deep concentration was in her eyes, which were a beautiful chestnut brown that seemed to have a tint of grey to them. The picture was so real it almost seemed as you could touch the scene it held, reach in and offer the young woman with her confusion. The onrly real dark point in the image was that you couldn't- that and the lightning striking outside the young woman's window.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerWinderWanderer**

Draco stared at the spot where she had disappeared in numb shock. _She's gone_. No. No, it couldn't be. There was no way that she was gone. _No!_ his soul screamed, but his mind told him differently as he slowly went forward and walked right through the spot she had occupied seconds before. _She went the way she wanted to_, he thought dully. _The same way _he_ did_.

A hand shaking him brought him out of his thoughts and his frozen state. Sirius Black stood behind him, looking more afraid than he had ever seen he man in his life. "What's happened? We heard screaming- damn it, what's going on?"

Draco looked up at the man with dead eyes. "I tried," he said, his voice hoarse. "I tried so hard. I heard her come out of her room, and I followed her. And when I saw… she collapsed…. and the light… I went for him. I should have gone to her. I should've… I Stunned him, and I turned and she was falling, she was reaching for me ,and I ran, I ran so fast, but it wasn't fast enough…. she fell… she fell…"

He looked down at his hand in disgust, the only emotion penetrating through his dark eyes. "I touched her hand… I almost had her. If I had been just one second faster…" And before Sirius had a chance to further question him, the older man's face stark white and bright fear shining in his eyes, Draco collapsed to the ground in an inelegant heap.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

Harry was up with the crack of dawn, pulling on a clean set of robes and hanging the two portraits he hadn't had the energy to the night before. A tear dripped down his face as he looked up at the image of his best friend, but he payed it no mind. "I promise I won't let him win here either, Nimi," he whispered. "I promise that no one else I care about will die in this war if I can help it."

He turned aroune when he heard the sound of feet shuffling at the door. Lily stood in the doorway, looking rather nervous. "I didn't mean to bother you," she said, her voice coming out in a squeak.

He chuckled. "You didn't bother me. We need to eat some breakfast and get going; I have to talk to a man named Albus Dumbledore today. He's the Headmaster at the school I teach at, and I'll need to ask him how we'll work out you staying there- if that's alright with you, that is."

She nodded, still looking slightly afraid. "Of course, sir. Um… whatdoyouteach?"

He smiled slightly, but recognized even more of himself in her matter and hated it. No one else should have had to endure the sort of treatment Vernon had bestowed. "Please, call me Orion. I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Orion," she whispered, testing the name out. A ghost of a smile flitted across her face, but disappeared quickly. "I don't really know… what is there?"

"Well, what do you usually have?"

She shrugged. "Er… the Ministry fed us the same meal all the time; I'm not sure what it was. Some kind of gruel, I guess. I found an old copy of Oliver Twist, and it sounded the same…"

He felt a flash of anger once more at the treatment his people had endured, but ignored it and smiled at her. "Well, how about some kippers then? I'm not really an eggs fan, but I'll make you some of those too… and some orange juice. Does that sound good?" She only nodded, her eyes wide.

**Two Hours, Thirty Seven Minutes, and Forty Two Seconds Later**

They were at Hogwarts now. Well, to be more accurate, they were walking up to the gates, Lily holding his hand rather nervously after he had taken hers. She had made no move to pull away, though, and he idly wondered if this was what it was like to have younger siblings, or children.

He knocked on the door to the castle, and it was Dumbledore himself who opened it. "Ah, Orion!" Albus said calmly. "Just the man I wanted to see." He caught sight of Lily, and a smile crossed his features. "And who is this?"

"This is my niece Lillian. Lily, this is Albus Dumbledore, the man I was telling you about."

"Hi," she whispered softly, looking down at her feet.

"Hello little one," Dumbledore said, the smile still in place. "Would you like a lemon drop?" Lily shook her head shyly, and Dumbledore chuckled before his serious expression returned and he looked at Harry.

"I really do need to speak with you, Orion. Lord of Azkaban?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, if you want to be technical… Can't we go up to your office?"

"Certianly. Follow me."

And so, a few minutes later, he and Lily were seated in comfortable red chairs (Lily being dwarfed by hers) and Albus was sitting behing his desk with his fingers steepled, waiting for Harry to begin. And so Harry started to tell the lie he had begun to think up on his way to Castle Azkaban the day before.

"I don't know if I've told you about my family. My parents died when I was little, and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle. They were very kind to me, but I always wanted to find out if I had any other relatives- genealogy has always been an interest of mine. So I started to look up my familiy tree- and imagine how surpries I was to find nothing. Nothing at all. Well, I could trace up to my great-grandfather, but past that, there was, literally, no information.

"But I was determined. My great-grandfather had been a pureblood, that I knew, so I started looking up pureblood families of the time with disowned children- I figured that was as good a place to start as any. I looked through several dead ends before I found anything at all, and even then it was very small.

"It seemed that my great-grandfather had randomly turned up in Diagon alley one day- no one had any idea who he was, and he wouldn't tell them anything. He befriended a girl named Emmalina Black, who later became my great-grandmother. Anyways, there was no information on who he was or where he came from, and I got fed up and stopped looking for a while.

"And then I was browsing in my town's library when I was a very interesting book, entitled 'Magical Lordships Throughout History'. I didn't see any connection to my great-grandfather at first until I read about the Lords of Azkaban. Apparently there is a 'Lost Line'; a son that was disowned but, when the rest of the Heirs died out, had power passed to his line. Unfortunately he had never toold his descendants, so Azkaban continued without a Lord for several years before the Ministry took over.

"Yesterday, for some reason, I remembered the book and, with nothing better to do, decided to check it out. When I arrived on the Isle my hand started to sting, and when I looked at it I could see a glowing rune, a rune I recognized from the book as the Rune of Azkaban.

"I was surprised, but not entirely shocked; I had suspected it. And then I saw the way the Ministry was treating the Azkabanians- my _people_- and I wouldn't stand for it. I told Fudge as much, kicked him out, and you know the rest, sir."

He nodded. "Indeed. So, my Lord, my only question is- will you still be taking the teaching position here?"

Harry was shocked. "Of course I will, sir! And please, continue to call me Orion- I don't mind. I respect you, after all. Although I will need to be able to visit the Isle- defintiely on weekends, perhaps during the week if something comes up. And I will need to have Lily stay here with me, if that;s all right- I'm sure we casn work something out?"

Albus smiled. "Of course, Orion. She is more than welcome here. How old is she?"

Thankfully, Lily answered, as she had not yet told Harry her age. "I'm almost ten, sir."

"Well then, that's simple," Dumbledoore said with a congenial smile. "If you'll have her study up and she can pass a test that was designed for this sort of circumstance, she can be entered in her First Year this fall."

"That's excellent, sir. For now at least, she'll stay with me in my quarters- and I assume she'll be allowed once school starts?"

"I don't see why not. Now, it's almost time for lunch- what say we head down to the Great Hall?"

Harry smiled and stood, and took Lily's hand as she did the same. "That would be lovely, sir." Behind his mental shields, a happy dance began. _He bought it, he bought it, he bought it… whee!_

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

And a short week later it was the start of term. Harry frantically made sure his lesson plans were in order, Flooed Lily to King's Cross so she could take the Express (she had gotten in and wanted to try and make friends on the train) and pulled on a clean pair of black robes, wanting to make as good of a first impression as possible. It was nothing too fancy- just plain black robes, rather similar to what the students themselves wore. In fact, he oculd almost be mistaken for a student, as he was the same age or at most seven years older than any of them.

Sitting at the Head Table, he fond himself clenching his hands in nervousness. "Honestly, Orion," McGonagall said with a chuckle, "It isn't that bad. They're not all little monsters, I swear."

He chuckled and nodded. "I know. Lily's a first year, remember. I don't know why I'm so nervous, really." What he didn't tell her, what he for some reason couldn't tell her, was that he had a headache that had been getting steadily worse all day and there was that nasty little tingle in the back of his mind, whispering to him that something was coming.

And before she had a chance to respond the doors opened and the first of the rain-soaked students began filing in. Unbidden, a memory returned to him.

_"Good morning!" A grumbled "What's so good about it?" "Well, for one, there's a thunderstorm going on! And for another, I get to finally see the whole of this hell on earth you've described in such great detail! And- oh crap, are those scrambled eggs?" A brief pause for laughter. "Have I found another egg hater?" _

She loved the rain. She always had… he shook his head to clear it and was mildly surprised to see the Hall nearly filled, students looking at him with mild curiousity. His eyes swung over as the doors opened again and McGonnagall entered- when had she left?- leading the first years up to the stool and hat. "When I call your name, you shal be Sorted…" He tuned her out to smile at Lily, who looked rather nervous but was talking quietly with a young boy he didn't recognize. That was good- he had hoped she would make friends.

Several students were Sorted, and then "Jamison, Lily!" She stepped forward nervously and sat on the stool. He had legally taken custody her, which was alright since he had been of age since the end of July. She had fully agreed to take his last name, since she had said she had never had a name before- _damn Ministry stupid wankers_- and after he had told her the truth about his past, he felt much better, like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. Especially when she didn't hate him for not telling her the truth at once. But jnow she was being Sorted, and he could think later…

**Lily**

She sat nervously on the stool and nearly jumped when she heard a small voice in her ear. _Hello, m'dear. Not the nicest life you've had…_

_Well, until Orion came along, _she replied, sudeenly calmer as she remembered what he had told her aboput the hat. _Hello, Mr. Hat._

A chuckle echoed in her head. _Oh no need for that, I'm just a simple hat really. Let's see, where to put you… You are amazingly smart, studied very hard for the exams… Very brave also, after all these years with what the Ministry did- Fudge was a Slytherin for good reason, you know… Fiercely loyal to those you care about… and rather cunning, to escape punishment all these times… what do you say?_

_Not Gryffindor, please not Gryffindor._

The hat seemed surprised. _Well that's an oddity- most people beg for 'not Slytherin'. _

_But seeing as you can see inside my head I'm sure you understand what that House did to Orion, and while I know he wouldn't mind, I'm not too fond of being there myself, thanks very much. _

He snorted. _Makes sense, I suppose. Well then, I guess it'd better be…_

**Harry**

"RAVENCLAW!" Harry applauded the loudest of all as Lily smiled at him shyly and made her way down to the clapping table, who seemed fairly excited to have the 'niece' of the newly appointed Lord of Caer Azkaban in the Druid Isles in ther House- no, that was an understatement. Ravenclaw, who he had always thought the most refined of the four Houses, were fairly standing on theiir feet and cheering, and two boys with a look of mischief about them were shouting "We got Jamison! We got Jamison!"

He shook his head with a chuckle. Reminded him a bit too much of his own Sorting, but he was glqad that she was in a House that held people such as Luna Lovegood, people who had never betrayed him. Not that he wouldn't have been pleased if she'd gotten into Gryffindor, but he knew that that particular House had left a black mark on his soul, and he never wanted Lily to have one to match.

After a while the commotion calmed down, the Sorting ended, and Dumbledore stood to make the announcements. "Welcome once again to another year at Hogwarts!" he said, his voice booming over the Hall. "I have several announcements to make, and I would like to get them out of the way now, before we start eating." Several moans came, and Dumbledore chuckled. "I assure you it will not take long.

"Our first order of business is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr. Orion Jamison. please make him feel welcome." There was a healty round of applause and much whispering, and Harry shuddered. Oh, how he hated gossip… and gossipers, for that matter. "Our next order of business is a little more serious. I'm sure most of you remember-" He was cut off by a rush of wind, a shining light, and a figure falling in a heap to the ground.

He sprung to his feet, wand drawn, but it wasn't conspicuous as every other professor had done the same. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, between whose tables the figure had landed, were hurriedly scooting towards the back of the room while the Ravenclaws and Slytherins reflexively recoiled towards the walls, away from the new arrival.

She was dressed in white, and was fairly obviously a woman from from the cut of her robes and the long, oddly familiar brown hair spread in a halo around her. And then Harry got a look at her face and froze, feeling his own features going pale.

It was impossible. There was no way. So why did it look so much like her? She didn't exist here. He knew that. It couldn't be her. But…

His mind was still spinning and he barely noticed as he vaulted over the table, didn't see everyone's shocked stares on him or Dumbledore holding Severus back from going after him, didn't see anything but her face. His feet carried him quickly towards her, and before he knew it he was kneeling next to her and brushing her hair out of her face.

Harry's breath caught in his throat and the sound echoed around the hall. His suspicions were confirmed the moment he saw her full face. It was her; it had to be. There was no mistaking the noble features of the Black and Fillibuster families, the small nose, the high cheekbones, the elegant arch of the eyebrows. And most of all, there was that tiny current in the back of his mind that always came in her presence. It could be no one else- could it?

Was this how he had arrived then? Unconscious, dropped into the middle of an unfamiliar place? Or had someone managed to get past his mental blocks and succeeded in fooling him? Checking his mental shields, he quickly discounted the second option. So did that mean…

He gathered her up in his arms, nodded towards Albus Dumbledore, and exited the Great Hall, kicking the doors open and letting them slam shut behind him. Conversations immediately broke out and Severus Snape and Sirius Black turned to the Headmaster, asking in unison "What the hell was that?"

**A/N: Slightly shorter than I would have wished, but it suffices. Now all you people have what you wanted- Nimi's here. (makes face, then giggles) Now, the ultimate challenge- let's see if you can figure out the magical theory behind everything before the next chapter comes out. Kudos to everyone who gets it! Now, to head off the questions and frustration I know are coming- I said Lily _looked _like she was about sevenish, not that she _was_. If you'll remember, Harry was always described as rather scrawny for his age, and I like the idea of him dealing with a female counterpart of himself. So that, folks, is chappie six… I hope you liked it. **

**Aerin**


	8. Chapter Seven: The Crownless King

**Chapter Seven: The Crownless King**

Nimi moaned slightly as she came to. Something seemed off… runnig a mental scan of herself, checking for any injured body parts, she was shocked to notice she didn't have a headache. Continuing her mental scan and noting that she felt better than she had in a long time, she began to take in her surroundings. She was tucked into an unfamiliar bed, though the pillows had a scent to them that stirred her memory, a scent of pine trees and fresh air and freshly-washed linen. The walls of wherever she was were beige in colour, and were mildly lit by a fire in a small fireplace.

And then came the shock of her life as she turned to her right to see, slumped and asleep in a chair next to the bed, Harry Potter. For a moment she froze, unable to move, and then the imposter woke up. "Nimi?" he breathed hopefully, his eyes catching on her face. "It's really you, isn't it."

"You have no right to call me that," she whispered, ashamed of how broken her voice sounded but unable to do anything to fix it. "And you have no right, no right to pretend to be someone like H-Harry Potter. He was a million times the man you'll _ever _be, you Death Eating bastard." Her last words were hissed out, and the man had the nerve to laugh.

"It _is _you," he whispered. "Nimi, can't you feel it?" And now that her head was a little more clear, she found that she could- that tingle in the back of her mind that was unmistakeably Harry. The scent suddenly clicked in her mind- that was Harry's scent on the pillows, Harry's scent through and through. She allowed herself to dare to hope for a moment before quashing it.

"You're dead," she whispered, tears filling her eyes to her utter shame. "I'm just dreaming. It's just another dream…" She had had many of these dreams, though she didn't say so aloud. They all seemed so real- until she woke up.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

She opened her mouth relfexively to say 'getting into bed', but paused as memories rushed passed. Pulling on her slippers, walking down the hallway… falling backwards into a golden portal, collapsing when her headache became too much… her dream…It was just like in her dream, when she had seen herself walking down the hallway and collapsing. Wait. It she had fallen through some sort of portal, a portal that looked oddly like what Harry had fallen through… did that mean…

She looked up at Harry with wonderment in her eyes, and he smiled, tears in his own. "Hey 'Mi," he said quietly. "I missed you." That was all the prompt she needed. Before she truly could comprehend what was happening she had thrown herself into his arms and was sobbing into his shirt with abandon.

She breathed in his scent, the scent she had smelled on the pillows. Any doubts in the back of her mind disappeared; she would never think to dream it, and no Death Eaters would think to copy _that_. He was here, and he was wonderfully real and solid… he was _here_. Her Harry was _alive_.

It took several moments for the tears to stop, and even then she couldn't bring herself 5to let go of Harry, her hands fisted in her robe and her face against his chest, the occasional sob still coming out as Harry rubbed her back reassuringly. "I missed you so much," she managed to whisper hoarsely. "I thought you were dead."

"And I thought you were," he said, his voice rumbling reassuringly through his chest. "When I woke up and I couldn't reach you…" He shivered, and she felt her grip on his robes tighten involuntarily. "I'm so glad you're alive."

"I'm glad you're alive too. I think that if I had gone much longer without you, I would have lost it. I was having these horrible headaches…"

A frown creased Harry's face. "I was having headaches too. Do you think it has something to do with our bond?" Nimi sighed and buried her face deeper against his chest.

"I don't know and I don't care. I'm just so glad you're alright…" Nothing else was said, and in a few minutes Nimi felt herself drifting off. Harry opened his mouth to speak and looked down, only to find her peacefully asleep against his chest. With a chuckle he unclenched her fists from his robe and tucked her into the bed, gently wiping away a few strands of loose hair.

"Sleep well, Nimi. I'll see you in the morning." Walking over to the couch, he sat down and pulled out the newspapers he had been planning to read to find out about Remus Lupin. Might as well make use of time. When Lily poked her head into her 'uncle's' about an hour later, she was surprised to see the strange woman asleep on the couch and Orion asleep on the couch, his head leaning on the back and a newspaper open in his laugh. She pulled the extra blanket off the foot of the bed and put it over her guardian, rolling uo the newspaper and setting it on the end table before going quietly back to the Ravenclaw Common Room and bed.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

"My Lord," a weak voice whispered, "Interesting matters have begun at Hogwarts."

"Really?' a high-pitched voice asked, sounding impatient. "This better be worth my time, Wormtail."

The first man whimpered before speaking again. "My Lord, the Lord of Azkaban, Orion Jamison, is the new Defense teacher. His niece, he adopted her recently, has been Sorted into Ravenclaw, and she's just turned ten."

"Is that all you have to say, Wormtail?" There was a cold, irritated edge to the voice, and the first panicked.

"N-no, my Lord! I-in the middle of the feast, a-a young woman dropped from the ceiling. Sh-she had brown hair, light and dark too, long and curly, and she was wearing white, sir… I couldn't recognize her, but Jamison paled and ran over to her and carried her out of the Hall… all the others looked confused, sir."

There was silence for a moment, before the cold voice said "Very well Wormtai. You may go." There was a whimper of thanks and a sound of scurrying feet, and then the Riddle House was silent once more as Lord Voldemort sat by the fireplace to brood.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

"Really Sirius, I don't see-"

"Albus," Sirius said coldly, "My daughter is dead. I really don't give a damn what you think. You cannot have Azkaban. Get out."

"But-"

"GET OUT!" After the Minister left Sirius relaxed back into the chair and put a hand ver his eyes. She was dead. His daughter was dead. The girl he had barely gotten a chance to know was gone.

Absentmindedly running a hand through his hair, he again picked up the reports of the Azkabanian Treasury. There didn't seem to be anything odd, except for a well-protected trunk with a Grim carved on the top. With a heavy sigh he left the office and walked downthe hall to the Treasury.

Opening the door, he forced himself not to gasp at the piles of gold found there. He always had that reaction, even if this was his fifth or so time visiting the Treasury. Turning to his left he saw the trunk and began to try to open it.

Several hours later, he had given up. Nothing he had had to throw at it had worked. Sighing, he absentmindedly set his hand on the trunk and gasped when it glowed gold before clicking open. Praising his good fortune, he noted that the first thing on top was a letter in famliliar handwriting. With a gulp he opened it and began to read.

_Dad, _

_If you're reading this then I am dead, most likely by the hand of renegade Death Eaters. You see, I never told you because I didn't want you to worry, but the man at Remus' speech had the Dark Mark. Don't freak out; I love you very much, and I want you to be happy. _

_As such, I am most definitely not going to contest Harry's will, so everything he said holds true for me. I would also like to add one thing: I hereby transfer Lordship of Azkaban to the Fillibuster-Black family line through way of Sirius Black and Meliara Fillibuster-Black. This shouldn't be a problem, since I have a sneaking suspicion Mel is pregnant. _

_I love you Dad, very much. Every thing in this trunk belongs to you and Mum… and I'll see you on the other side. I'll say hello to the Potters for you, and I hope that I don't see you for a good long time- don't you go dieing on me Daddy. _

_Love, _

_Nimi Stardreamer-Black, Lady of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, former Primary Advisor and High War Admiral to Lord Harry Potter of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, Order of Merlin, First Class_

Sirius shakily wiped a tear from his eye. He missed her so much… but right now, he needed to talk to his wife…

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

When Nimi woke up, she didn't open her eyes. _It was all just a dream. When I open my eyes, he won't be there. He's dead, Nimi. Get over it. _With much trepidation she opened her eyes, only to find herself in the bed she had awoke in last night and Harry nowhere in sight.

Pulling back the blankets she got out of the bed and walked over to the couch, where she could see a shock of black hair. Unknowingly a smile lit her face as she watched his chest slowly rise and fall. She could not describe what she felt at that moment, just watching Harry being there, alive, breathing. Everything was perfect.

It was in that moment that Harry woke up. "Hey," he yawned, stretching his arms. "How're you?"

"Perfect," she said quietly. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Where are we, though?"

He sighed, and rana hand through his hair. "Er. That's a rather long story. You see, we're actually kind of in a parallel universe, I think…" Finding thoughts easier than words, he quickly sent her mental images of all he'd been doing since he'd been here.

"So, Orion Jamison," she said a moment later, surprise in her eyes, "My parents aren't married here?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope. They both work here, and they're both in the Order, but I don't think Mel succeded in running away from her famlily here. I don't think she's dark, but judging by her accent I think she just came here recently."

Nimi nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose. I assume you were working on Remus last night?" Nod. "Right, so we need to figure out that and find out where the Noble Dead are. You were right in thinking the War Room would be a big help; we should head there this weekend. When is your first class?"

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at his watch before relaxing. "Not for another two hours. We should probably talk to Albus… and figure out what to tell him." He saw Nimi stiffen and hurriedly added "He's much better here, 'Mi. I promise."

She nodded. "If he does anything to hurt you Harry, I won't be responsible for my actions. But what should we tell him? We can't exactly tell him that we're bonded, but I don't think I need to take a new form since I don't exist here… and the name Nimi Stardreamer should work. We could tell him that I fell through a portal when I was being chased by Death Eaters… that'd work."

"I don't see why it wouldn't- but we need a reason for you to stay at the castle, because I am not letting you out of my sight any more than I have to. Let's see…" He thought for a moment, and then his eyes brightened. "You can apply for the History position! It's always beena hobby of yours, and you know quite a lot-"

"You do too," she pointed out. "You know everything I knew up to that point. That's a good idea, though. I do love history… and teaching would be fun. Then I would get to stay here and meet the mysterious Lily."

Harry chuckled. "I think you would like her. For now though, let's go talk to Albus. And I should probably become Orion again…" A moment later his form had changed to that of the DADA professor and they had set ff towards Albus' office.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

"Well, Miss… Stardreamer? I would like to welcome you to the positon of History of Magic Professor. Here is a class schedule, although I believe it would be best for you to have at least the next two days off to develop a lesson plan."

Nimi shook her head. "It's pronounced 'star-DREAM-er' actually. I'd still like to hold my classes if that's alright, sir. I can get to know the students, at least, and see what they're interested in learning. I always appreciated when my teachers did that for me, even if I had no idea what to ask about."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well then. I shall see you at breakfast, Miss Stardreamer, and I shall announce your appointment to the students then."

"Farewell, sir," Nimi said with a nod, leaving the office to find Harry waiting outside of it. ""You're looking at the new History Professor," she said with a smile that turned into a laugh when Harry picked her up and spun her around.

"That's great, 'Mi! Now let's go to breakfast… food that is not eggs is good." She laughed and accompanied him doen to the Great Hall. They were still laughing when they entered it, and as silence fell, they fell quiet as well. Nimi was suddenly glad that Harry had had her change her robes and hide her circlet; she didn't want to think about how much more attention she'd be getting.

In the silence she and Harry made their way to the Head table and sat down, and when conversation started up again one of the focal points was wondering how they had managed to step without making a sound.

Snape turned to look at Nimi, as he was seated next to her with his wife on the other side. "May I assume you are the new History professor?"

She nodded and held out her hand. "My name's Nimi Stardreamer, sir. A pleasure to meet you. Might you be Severus Snape?" He shook her hand and nodded. "I've heard very much about you, sir. I thought that your work on the Confounding Potion was just brilliant."

"Why, thank you," Snape said, sounding surprised. "I am amazed one so young as you could comprehend it."

"Well, I am only fifteen sir, but I passed my NEWTS last year. One thing did strike me as odd though. I understand that adding the pussywillow tale after four stirs counteracts the puffskein poison, but wouldn't that allow the boomslang skin to fester?"

The Potions Master looked intrigued, and soon a detailed conversation between he and Nimi had sprung up, with Harry occasionally inserting comments. Snape seemed impressed with their knowledge of his subject, and the conversation would have probably gone for a good time longer if Dumbledore hadn't risen to make an announcement.

"Hello again. I am sorry to interrupt your breakfasts, but I would like to welcome our new History Professor, Miss Nimi Stardreamer. Please also note that if you have a free period marked on your schedule with a star denoting History, you do need to attend History. Thank you."

"Well, I guess that's our cue to leave, Orion," she said to Harry with a smile. "It's been nice talking to you, Professor Snape. I hope to do so again sometime."

"That would be nice. Please, call me Severus." She nodded in acquiescence and she and harry exited the Hall together- but not before Harry shot Lily a look that clearly stated 'I promise we'll talk later'.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

**Harry**

"Hello, class, and welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of your Fourth Year." He had no idea why they had given him Fourth Year Gryffindors and Slytherins first thing, or even why the DADA classes now had two Houses instead of one, but oh well. He could go with it. "Today, we are going to be studying the Patronus Charm… but first, I'd like to answer any questions you may have."

Nearly all of the hands in the class immediately shot up, and Harry sighed. It was going to be a long day. "Yes, Miss…."

"Johnanssen, sir. I was wondering how you can be our Defense Teacher when you look like a Seventh Year, sir."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, it makes sense that I look like a Seventh Year, since I just turned seventeen. But I passed my NEWT's last year with honours on Defense, and I had O's in every subject. So… yeah. Yes, Mr…"

"Quintze. I thought that there;s only one Lord of Azkaban, and that he was immortal. So, er, how,"

Harry smiled. "Well, you should be learning all about that; I believe Professor Stardreamer told me she'd be having a unit on that."

"Do you know her?" a voice called out from the back of the classroom.

"I do. She's my best friend, and her parents are my godparents. Does anyone have questions pertaining to our curriculum?" Every hand in the room went down. "No? Then onto the Patronus Charm. Can anyone tell me what the Patronus Charm is?"

A Slytherin boy raised his hand. "Yes, Mr…"

"Zabini, sir." Now that the boy mentioned it, Harry could see similarities between him and the Parseltongue he knew vaguely back in his own world; they must be brothers. "The Patronus Charm is used to ward off Dementors and Lethifolds. It creates a sort of barrier between you and the attacker, and takes the form of something you associate with protection, usually an animal."

Harry nodded. "An excellent description. Ten points to Slytherin. Now, a demonstration." Focusing on when Nimi had appeared in the hall, he pushed aside the reflex to simply allow his Patronus to appear and then remembered that he could use the Rune now without suspect. "Expecto Patronum," he said quietly, pointing at the far wall. It was an odd sensation, having the likeness of Padfoor emerge from his fingers, but a nice one. The class gasped.

"This spell should be performed with a wand, but as Lord Azkaban I can focus my magic through the Rune of Azkaban, on my palm." He displayed it; the Slytherins seemed for the most part unimpressed, and several Gryffindors were amazed. "Er, right. Now, to create a Patronus…"

**Nimi**

She was sitting on her desk, reading Professor Binns sibject notes when her first class of the day entered. The bell rang and she barely noticed, shaking her head in disgust. In fact, it took a Ravenclaw Sixth Year physically walking up to her desk and tapping her on the shoulder for her to notice the class.

"Hm?" she asked, and then looked out at the teenagers (most of whom were at least a year older than her) and blushed. "Er, right. Sorry." She stood and cleared her throat. "My name is Nimi Stardreamer. I passed my NEWT's last year with perfect marks in every subject and honours in History. I am fifteen years old. My best friend is Orion Jamison, your new Defense Professor. Any questions?" No one raised their hands. "Very well. History has always been a hobby of mine… preoccupation more like. I find it intriguing, and these notes are horrifying. How any of you managed to pass your History OWL with knowledge only of goblin rebellions is beyond me.

"I have yet to create a lesson plan as before today I was not aware I would be teaching, but I wanted to hold class today anyways, not only to get to know you but to get a measure of what you'd like to learn. As such, you will need to take out a piece of parchment and a quill and write down what era of history you're interested in learning about. There are obviously parameters I have to cover, but in History, there can be a lot of leniency over what I cover so long as I hit major points."

Several moments later she got the sheets back. "Alright. So pre-Ministry Britain seems a large topic… let's see what else… 'History stinks'. Thank you for that comment, Mr. Creevey. It's really too kind." The boy blushed and looked amazed that she had known it was him. It was just a simple counting trick utilizing the way they'd passed them back in.. not so difficult. She sighed. Today would be a long day.

**AN: And anonther chapter finished! The next chapter of AV needs about another two pages and then it's done… yay! Finally. Also, I have the first chapter of a rewrite of TKM done, so when I finish a bit more I'll post it. **

**As for the magical theory, Lady Gallatea Ravenclaw was closest to understanding: **Due to the fact that Nimi and Harry are bonded, their minds are connected in a way. Both of them are tugging on their magic to bring the other to them; in Harry's case, he wants to go back, but he thinks that it's impossible, and Nimi's dead. Nimi doesn't know that he is gone, she thinks he is dead. Therefore, Harry has more of a pull (and because he is more powerful), and he was able to pull Nimi into the dimension with him. This wouldn't have been possible without their bond. **Kudos! **

**A couple of minor points: Harry isn't magically stronger than Nimi (because of their link, they're of equal power) but there is more pressure on his side of the link. I think that at this point in the fanfic it's too early to tell, but I may have left a hint; I'm honestly not sure. Any other ideas to elaborate on hers, or anything else from the Lady herself?**

**Aerin**


	9. Chapter Eight: Silver Cages

**Chapter Eight: Silver Cages**

About a week later Harry had his first lesson with the Seventh Year NEWT class, the elite. He was, understandably, nervouse, but safe in the knowledge that he knew more than they did, even if he was, approximately, their age. All those bored days spent studying with Nimi in the Azkaban Library had come to good use.

Nimi. He felt a smile flit across his face. He had never thought he'd see her again, he'd thought she was dead… and here she was, alive and well. He couldn't ask for a better gift. He couldn't remember being this happpy since he had found out Sirius was alive.

The grin fell as he remembered what Nimi had told him. Everyone back home thought he was dead… and would, ost likely, think Nimi was too. He didn't want to imagine what it would be like for them, especially Sirius and Mel, who had lost both their godson and their daughter.

He looked up as the bell rang and the last of his students filed in. He stood from the chair behind his desk, clearing his throat. "Right then. I'm Orion Jamison, it's quite possible several of you are older than me, and I am going to be your teacher for Defense this year. My qualifications-" he flicked his hand at the board and writing began to appear, "-are perfect scores on both my Defense OWL's and NEWT's and O's in everything else. I am a qualified duelist," whish was true as he had gotten certified lats year) "and, as I am sure you know, the Lord of Azkaban, which allows me to focus my magic through the Rune of Azkaban instead of a wand. Right. Any questions?" There were none.

Harry ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. "Right, so today we are going to be discussing some theory." Seeing the looks of disappointment, he added "Don't worry, it will be interesting. What I want is a civilized- _civilized_, mind you- discussion on Dark and Light magic. I do expect you to take notes. To start off with, I would like someone to give me a definition of what makes a magic 'Dark'. Yes, Miss…" he checked his seating chart, even though he had no need. "Granger."

"Dark magic are spells used to harm others," she said authoratatively.

He nodded to her. "Five points for a perfect Ministry definition." She beamed. "Unfortunately, I'll have to disagree." She looked stunned, while the others looked amused and intrigued. "Let me put it this way. The 'Unforgivable' curses. Can anyone give me a so-called 'Light' use for them?" Neville Longbottom shakily raised his hand. "Yes, Mr…. Longbottom?"

"Erm," he said, looking embarassed, "I was reading an article this summer about how Muggles are having debates over 'mercy killing'… so if the Killing Curse is painless and someone requests to have their life ended, if they have a chronic condition and would die anyways… is that the sort of thing you mean?" The class looked vaguely impressed, and Harry could hear a murmur of surprise that _Longbottom_ had come up with that.

"Correct. Spot-on brilliant, actually. Ten points." Neville looked delighted with himself. "Now, who can think of a good use for the Imperius curse?" It was Ron's turn to awkwardly raise his hand. "Yes, Mr…. Weasley."

"Well, my dad, he works at the Ministry, and he was telling me about how there had been an idea to use the Imperius to help trauma victims… like, someone who had been mugged or summat and become agoraphobic, they could be forced to face their fears."

"Exactly. Ten points. Now, can anyone think of a 'Light' use for the Cruciatus curse?" Silene. Nothing. "No one? Alright, has anyone here ever been under the Cruciatus?" No one raised their hands. "Really? That's excellent. Now, as someone who _has _experienced this curse in person, I can tell you it feels as though your very nerves are being set on fire. In fact, I've used that description for it many times. So who's to say that by submitting someone with a paralyzed limb to the curse, you wouldn't reconnect the pathways?" Silence again. "Just a thought."

"Now, here's something else. Miss Granger's excellent definition told us that these spells are used to harm others then. Couldn't, then, the Levitating charm be considered Dark then? I don't know about you, but I've heard horror stories about people being Levitated off cliffs. If that's not harming others, I don't know what is. So can anyone give me another reason why we might classify spells the way we do?"

A hand raised to a Slytherin boy that harry instantly recognized. "Yes, Mr… Zabini?"

"Well," he said, seeming to try and get his thoughts straight, "Does that mean spells are classified by their most common use? I mean, the Cruciatus is usually used to cause pain, and Wingardium Leviosa is usually used for things like lifitng heavy items. Er… yeah."

Harry grinned widely at him. "Exactly! Ten points." He paused for a moment. "Think about what Mr. Zabini just said. Spells are classified by their most common use. It can be compared to, say, frying pans being considered just househols weapons, not bludgeoning devices." This earned a light chuckle. "But in all seriousness, think about it. If spells are classified by their most common use but they can be used otherwise, then we know why _spells _are called 'Light' or 'Dark'. Why, then, are _wizards _labeled as such? Miss… Brocklehurst?"

Mandy had shyly raised her hand, and was now bright red. "Er… intent," she managed to squeak. At his curious look, she elaborated. "I mean, as you don't call Aurors Dark wizards and they're liscensed to use the Unforgivables, you cannot label people by what spells they cast, can you? So don't they need to be labelled by their intent, what they're trying to do and doing with their spells?"

"Ten points! Exactly correct. Wizards are grouped for their intent, or why they use the spells they do, not the spells they perform. To take an example, the Hogwarts houses. People tend to assume that Slytherins- no offense to those of you out there- are Dark. Why? Mr. Weasley?"

He was red in the face. "Because Slytherins are all slimy gits?" he asked sarcastically. The Slytherins glared, and the Gryffindors glared right back until they realized Harry was laughing.

"Do you see what I mean? The reason why we tend to group Slytherins the way we do is because many Dark wizards have been cunning. But to be Dark, one does not have to be cunning, and to be cunning, one does not have to be Dark. I would like to consider myself cunning, but I would also like to think myself a Light wizard. And once again on the other side, I have heard of several Dark wizards who were Gryffindors." As gasps echoed through the classroom, Harry spoke louder.

"Think about it. They say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; wouldn't you have to be very brave to stand up for what you believe in, even if you act Dark and cruelly in doing so? And Hufflepuffs- loyalty. in a famous example, the Death Eaters. Mustn't they be loyal to Voldemort?" More gasps. Harry sighed. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. But anyways… where was I? Oh yes. Ravenclaws- in order to come up with new spells to do what you want them to do, whether you use them Darkly or Lightly, you have to be very clever."

People were beginnning to look intrigued, and Harry continued. "Therefore, to extrapolate, it is not the traits of a wizard or, in this example, what House they are in, that makes a wizard light or Dark- it is their intentions. Now, what sort of intentions cause Darkness? Ast a basic level, the same as those that cause Lightness. Desire to protect family, friends, or ideals… love. Fear, sometimes. So what's different?" He paused. The class was silent, listening closely. Harry smiled.

"I once heard a great saying… it was talking about leading to Darkness, and it described the road as one you don't realize you're walking until you've taken too many steps and no longer turn back. Now, there is a famous Muggle argument called Nature vs. Nurture. It is trying to figure out if people are born a certain way, socially acceptable if it were, or if they are raised to be so. In our circumstances, it becomes: Are people born Dark or Light, or are they raised to become so?

"Another saying- "some are born great, some are made great, and some have greatness thrust upon them". The same can be said for alignment. Now, perhaps some people are born Dark; I'm not going to get into an argument over that. What I want to talk about are the other two.

"Some people are raised Dark. They are taught to believe in ideals and ways to support them involving using Dark magic- I am using this as intent, mind you- and thus continue on that path. If you are told to believe something from the time you are small, you will believe it. You could tell a small child for all their life, broccoli tasted like chocolate, and they would believe it still years later.

"Now, that is not to say that they cannot change their minds; it is just amazingly difficult. It would most likely take a cataclysmic event to shake their beliefs, or a series of smaller events. Cataclysmic events can relate to the "greatness thrust upon them". Say, for example, that your family is killed, and you react to it in a certain way. Perhaps you know who killed them. Perhaps you vow avenge your family, and you study up and end up using magic Darkly to defeat the people who killed them. And now, perhaps, you've become Dark youself, having Dark intents based only on your family and the love you had for them.

"Now perhaps this person, once they defeated the person who killed their family, starts seeing the same sorts of things happening to others and starts killing people who do that sort of thing. That could still be argued as acting Lightly, though you're getting on shallow ground. And then suppose you start looking at the types of people who do that, and you pick out adults and children who fit your profile and start killing them off. At the basic level, you only want to protect others from what you had to experience… but you are inadvertently causing it.

"It sneaks up on you, sometimes. Without meaning to, you become what you've hated, what you've been trying to extinguish all along. Ideals are slippery things to hold onto, you know. And that's why you hear about so manny wizards and witches switching sides; because their ideals slip or change, and so do they." The bell rang, and Harry started. He hadn't truly realized how long he'd been talking. "Right. For next time, please write a foot on Dark and Light, just comparing them in your own opinions. If I've given you something to think about please, feel free to extrapolate- but I really, really do not want anything past a foot and a half, and I mean it. Good day."

The class filed out, chatting excitedly. Harry leaned back against his desk with a small smile. He hadn't meant to go off on such a tangent… but if had gotten across the points he'd wanted to make. All in all, that had been good. He looked up at a knock to see Nimi standing there, looking pale and rather pissed off. He felt his stomach drop. _What's wrong? _he asked mentally.

She sighed heavily. _I was in class with Sixth Year Slytherins. I mentioned something about werewolves, I can't remember what, and one of them snickered something about that not being a problem anymore. I asked what he meant, and the whole class looked at me like I was crazy before 'reminding me' about Ministry Edict Number E453. I looked it up, and apparently all werewolves in Britain were recalled almost twenty years ago to be 'studied for educational purposes'. I looked it up, Harry, and Remus 'died' the same year. There's no doubt about it; they're covering up half the people they've taken so that people don't start an uprising. Harry, there must be three hundered people in there!_

He stared at her. _You're serious? _he asked in horror. She nodded. "Let's go," he said calmly, his voice cold and dangerous sounding. "Neither of us have any more classes until after lunch; we have a few hours, and I have a plan." He sent her the idea and they shared a smirk.

"Simple and brilliant as always, Harry. Shall we go, then?" They did.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

It was, all in all, a very impressive scene when Harry Potter stormed the Ministry of Magic Testing Facility Number 84A3. He merely walked in, his cloak billowing behind him in a very Snape-like fashion with Nimi behind him, hers doing the same. It was, he noted, an acquired skill to get it to funnel out in that precise, intimidating way.

They actually managed to make it to the inner doors past the lobby before anyone did anythimg more than stare at them with shock and awe. "Hey!" the secretary finally shouted, standing up. "You can't go in there!"

"Watch me," Harry hissed, whipping out his hand and almost reflexively showing her his palm as he continued on his way. The woman stared at them in shock as they continued, and Nimi couldn't resist sending a mental laugh in Harry's direction, which he returned with a snicker.

He blew the doors open with a very impressive display of wandless magic, startling the people in white robes inside, who seemed to be comparing notes. "Hello," Harry said viciously. "I am here to inspect the facilities. And yes, I have a pass." He displayed it; it had been all too easy to get one from the Minister's office once they realized he was the Lord Azkaban.

"Certainly!" the man who seemed to be in charge said cheerfully, and Harry mentallly snorted in disgust. He could not stand people like that, who could be so cheerful in a place like… like _this_. It disgusted him. "Right this way."

He led them down the hallway as people began to return to their work. Nimi reflexively grabbed Harry by the arm as they realized what they were seeing. About every seven feet or so there was a door that led into a cell. As they passed the prisoners looked out to them, eyes deadened with loss of hope. The entirety of the cells were made of silver, and the inhabitants were chained to the walls by them. Harry felt as though he would be physically sick, and he removed Nimi's hand from from his arm to clutch it in his own. And then, somehow, they got to even more horrifying displays.

At the end of the corridor they took a right, and their guide began to speak as they passed a lrage window with several men and a woman unconscious on an operating table inside. "Coming up on your right are our testing labs. As you've no doubt been told, we believe we can harness a way to allow them to transform not only on the Full Moon, which would be a great asset in this war."

Harry's hand tightened convulsively on Nimi's as they passed the next window. A man was strapped down to a table and being tortured, his screams not penetrating the glass. Nimi shivered and reflexively moved closer to him. "Here's one who refuses to give in to our initial conditioning. Sometimes they refuse to see that we need their help in this war." He sighed sadly, and Harry realized in disgust that the man truly meant what he was saying. _Sick bastard…_

Their tour continued until they got to the most horrifying point of all. Rounding another corner, Harry could do nothing more than stare in shock. There were about twenty cages, none taller than about three feet and none wider than four, in the room in front of them. In every cage was a human being, huddled and shivering in too-small dirty clothing and looking as though they hadn't been fed for ages. They most likely hadn't.

"Thank you," Harry said, for once not caring how shaky his voice was. "I've seen enough." His voice slowly strengthened as he spoke. "One of my rights as the Lord of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles is to award citizenship to anyone and everyone I choose. As such I award citizenship to every werewolf in the United Kingdom, and they are now under my jurisdiction. I demand for them to be released, or you will suffer the consequences. I am warning you once and once only."

The cheery man blinked at him. "Er… what?" he asked stupidly.

Harry sighed. "Well, I see I have to be more formal- if that's the course you desire, so be it." His voice gained a deeper power to it, and Nimi couldn't help but shiver. The fool guide was cowering. "I, Lord Azkaban of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles, do hereby decree that every being termed 'werewolf' in the United Kingdom is hereby awarded citizenship of Azkaban and all the rights and priveledges inclusive thereof. As last of the Lost Line my word is law, and I command for the aformentioned parties to be released from their custody. As the Lord has spoken, the Rune acts." Finishing the formal act, the Rune glowed, the white light flowing throughout the room.

The guide was starting to look angry. "Hey there, you can't-"

Harry interrupted him. "I assure you it is completely and entirely within my legal rights. Complain to the Minister, if you'd like. He can look it up." Without another glance at the man, and knowing that Nimi would take him out if he tried anything, he strode forward and muttered a spell. The locks on all the cages were thrown off, and their inahbitants looked at him in amazement. "Come on," he said, approaching the first person. "Let's get you out of here."

The man looked up at him and shakily, uncertainly reached out his hand. Harry slowly, so as not to startle him, grasped it in his own and pulled him out until he was standing upright and swaying. "Thank you," the man managed to whisper hoarsley, and Harry shook his head.

"Don't thank me. Any decent-" he shot a glare at the guide "-person would have done the same thing. I'm going to give you a Portkey to a hospital, all right? Tell the nurse, her name is Helene, that Orion sent you. Okay?" The werewolf nodded, and in a moment he was off. Harry had never been more glad that he'd managed to track down Helene and get the Hospital in working order.

"Alright," he called out, "Is there a Remus Lupin here?" He half-prayed that there wasn't, that he was still in the cells they had first passed…. but to no avail. There was a cough of surprise, and then-

"Yes," came a hoarse voice, that sounded like it hadn't been used in years. Harry followed the sound of it to the back corner of the room. "Why?"

Harry smiled sadly as he approached the man. "My name is Orion Jamison. I'm the Defense teacher at Hogwarts. A man named Sirius Black works there." He saw Remus jerk and look at him in surprise and hope. "He mentioned you to me in a conversation, once. He thinks you're dead. If you'd like, once I get all the others out of here I can take you to Hogwarts with me instead."

A single tear fell down the other man's face. "I'd like that very much, thank you," he whispered quietly. Harry felt his heart break. No one, no one deserved treatment like this. The Ministry had gone past 'too far' a long, long time ago.

"All right. I'm just going to round up all the others and send them to the hospital…" After doing so (and having to Stun several doctors attempting to stop him) he returned to Remus, who was standing outside his cell, looking around in amazement. Harry sympathized; he knew what it was like to realize you were free, even if his reaction had been dimmed by the shock of discovering he was Lord Azkaban.

"Come on," he said quietly, nodding to Nimi to come over. "Let's get to Hogwarts and have Madame Pomphrey fix you up." Remus smiled shakily as Harry Transfigured an old piece of parchment in his pocket into a Portkey. In a moment, they were gone, leaving the Ministry to discover, hours later in absolute horror, that their most succesful operation had gone down the drain.

**SubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWandererSubjectRulerFinderWanderer**

The scene was oddly familiar; Remus in a hospital bed with Madame Pomphrey fussing over him, healing wounds and shoving disgusting looking potions down his throat. Brought back memories of his Hogwarts days, back before everything…

He sighed and smiled at Remus. "Nimi and I will go get Sirius, alright?" Remus nodded, looking apprehensive but joyful. Harry understood the feeling, and imagined he had looked much the same when he had found out he could rescue his own Sirius from beyond the Veil.

Harry walked out into the hallway with Nimi and leaned against the wall with a sigh. She hugged him tightly, much to his surprise, but he returned it. She pulled back and smiled at him. "That was a very good thing you did Harry," she said softly. "Let's go get Sirius."

He nodded and absentmindedly took her hand, setting off down the hallways towards the Great Hall, where he knew Sirius and the others would be eating dinner. "Stay here," he whispered to Nimi. "It will seem more suspicious if both of us go in." She nodded, and Harry entered the Great Hall.

What happened next piqued the students' curiosity and caused several rumours to spread. Their new Defense teacher hurried up to the High Table to whisper something in Professor Black's ear. The man paled and nodded before rising from his seat, and the two hurried from the Great Hall, receiving an assortment of stares from teachers and students alike.

Out in the hallway, Sirius glanced at Nimi before talking to Harry. "You found him?" he asked urgently. "He's alive?"

Harry nodded. "He's in the hospital Wing now-" Without listening to another word Sirius took off running towards the Hospital Wing. Harry and Nimi exchanged an eye roll before taking off after him. Some things never changed.

**AN: And there is yet another chapter. In the next we learn more about what happens to Remus, there's a happy reunion, Harry utilizes the War Room to search for the Noble Dead, and maybe (if I can fit it in) there will be a flashback to their old world. If not, that will be in chapter 10. Anyways, that will hopefully be up soon. For AV fans, the next chapter is being worked on and should be up soon. **

**Aerin**


End file.
